The Lesser of Two Evils
by Briememory
Summary: With moments to spare, the Order of Dagon decides to send the key in human form to someone who would protect it with his very life: Harry Potter. Now, he faces new and old foes alike who all want the power that his sister holds, in addition to the insurmountable task of being an older brother.
1. What Can I Say

This story is my first attempt at a crossover, and honestly I wasn't sure if I could pull it off, especially since Dawn isn't the most popular character in Buffy fandom. But when I saw the beginning of Chapter 37 of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I knew it was meant to be. I promise, this will be a story you can enjoy, even if you're not a big Dawn fan. It won't be a whiny brat inserted the _Harry Potter _story (especially since it would be pretty hard to be spoiled when you're raised by the Dursleys).

Disclaimer: I own neither the Harry Potter nor Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchises. I assure you that, if I did, I would not be groveling for reviews of my fanfiction. This chapter does contain text directly lifted from Chapter 37 of OotP and elements from the episode "The Real Me" of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

**Chapter 1: What Can I Say**

* * *

_Everything seemed to have repaired itself during the headmaster's absence. The delicate instruments stood again upon the spindle-legged tables, puffing and whirring serenely. The portraits of the headmasters and headmistresses were snoozing in their frames, heads lolling back in armchairs or against the edge of their pictures. Harry looked through the window. There was a cool line of pale green along the horizon: Dawn was approaching._

Jerking out of his own thoughts, Harry sighed as he stared out the window. That quiet moment had been interrupted hours ago by the weight of the world crashing down on his back. With the truth of his past and future fresh in his mind, Harry had promised the headmaster that he would go straight to bed. Dumbledore had nodded slightly, the tears still wet on his face, a tacit approval for Harry to get his invisibility cloak and head down to the hospital wing.

He had been there all morning, watching over his friends as they recovered from their various wounds. They were all still asleep, with the exception of Luna, who had been well enough to go back to her dormitory. Though their wounds had mostly been healed, he guessed that it would be some time before Hermione and Ron would be back to normal judging by the severity of their injuries.

Harry threw his fist down on the table, angry that he had been so self absorbed. There were a million things he could have done differently to avoid this fate, but deep down, in a part of his brain that Harry didn't even want to admit existed, he knew that they were lucky. Hermione could have been killed by Dolohov, Ron by the brains, Neville by Bellatrix… But no, he had determined that they were not lucky.

And yet, it seemed so peaceful back in Dumbledore's office. His first thoughts had been about the time of day. Harry sat down in a stool next to Ron's bed, and decided to lay his head down. His last thoughts were on the rays of light that shimmered against the back of his head: Dawn had arrived.

..::..

Harry was stirred from his sleep an hour later by an owl dropping the _Sunday Prophet_ on top of his head. Quietly, he paid the owl and placed the paper next to Hermione's bed, and decided to get some breakfast at the Great Hall before slipping in again to visit. It had been dangerous to sleep that long, knowing that Madame Pomfrey would have his head for disturbing her patients.

Clutching the invisibility cloak close to his skin, Harry sneaked out the doors of the wing before putting it away. Once again, Harry was struck by the stillness of it all. He knew that the majority of students wouldn't be up for some time, but he still expected his name to be on everyone's lips, even at the current hour.

As he sat down at the Gryffindor table, he realized just how lonely he was. Some of the older members of the house had come down, but they seemed to be lost in a post-NEWT fog. No one his age was down either; presumably they were all asleep in either the hospital wing or the dormitories. There was only one person in the castle who would sit with him at this breakfast, and he was terrified to see her suddenly storming towards him.

She plopped the _Sunday Prophet_ on the table with a loud thud. Its headline glared back at him: "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns."

"When were you going to tell me about your adventure last night?" she asked, though it wasn't really a question. She shouted it loud enough that nearly the entire commons could hear. For the first time in centuries, there was no noise in the Great Hall. All eyes were on them.

Harry grabbed the sleeves of her robes and pulled her down to sit next to him. "Keep your voice down!" he hissed. Slowly, people began to go back to their meals, though all ears remained tuned into their conversation.

"Me keep my voice down? How can you say that?" she said, getting progressively louder with every word. Her blues eyes were piercingly sharp. "Why didn't you take me with you?"

"Because you weren't there," Harry replied, taking a swig of orange juice.

"Liar!" Realizing how loud she had shouted, the girl brushed the long black hair out of her face and turned away from her gaping peers.

"It's the truth: Ginny, Luna, and Neville wouldn't have gone either if they hadn't found us on our way to the Ministry."

There was some silence between the two, until the young girl finally broke it. "That's not all, is it?" Her tone was noticeably more harsh and biting.

"No, it's not." He paused hoping that answer would be sufficient. Her blue eyes implored him to continue. "You're too young. A third year with hardly any duelling experience wouldn't be much help against a squad of Death Eaters."

"But I have…"

"No, you don't! Besides, it was way too dangerous."

"But not for Ginny and Luna? We're the same age!"

"They're a year older than you are."

"That doesn't matter! Didn't I go to the same D.A. meetings? You don't need to protect me!"

"Yes I do! Hell, we're lucky only one person died." Damn, she caused him to slip up.

"What? The _Prophet_ hadn't mentioned any bodies being found," she said as she picked up the paper, reading through the article again.

Harry pulled the paper out of her hands. "It's a long story. I'm sorry Dawn, but Sirius died last night."

His sister recoiled at the knowledge, before she started sobbing uncontrollably. She buried her face in Harry's robes, not caring about the scene she was making. "I'm so sorry," was all Harry could say, for anything more would have caused him to similarly breakdown.

After some time and approximately a million sobs, Dawn grabbed the cloak and stood up from the table.

"Where do you think you're going with that?" Harry hissed.

"To visit my friends. The ones that you don't treat like an incompetent child." She walked out of the Great Hall calmly before turning the corner and disappearing, just as suddenly as she appeared.

Harry sighed, letting his thoughts turn to the stubborn girl. When he lied, she was upset, yet when he told the truth she was even more upset. There was no way to please her.

"Family troubles?" a young girl next to him asked. Harry looked up to see Cassie Newton, one of his sister's friends from her year. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but then again you weren't trying to be discreet." Her voice trailed off for a moment, and just as soon as Harry gave up on the conversation continuing, she spoke again. "It's just that Dawn was really upset. She was crying in the dormitory before breakfast."

"Family troubles indeed," Harry stated grimly. "First my godfather, the closest thing to a relative I had left, dies and now my sister is pissed off, which is really nothing new." The blond was fidgeting in her seat. "I'm sorry. Long day."

"So I've heard," she responded while nodding towards the headline of the paper. "You're entitled to be angry."

"I'm not angry. Just…frustrated." Yes, frustrated. That word seemed to fit the situation well. He had done the right thing, won the battle, and got the world to admit that he was right, but he still lost. Frustrating indeed.

"When I'm frustrated, I countdown from 260."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "That's a fairly high number."

The blond shrugged. "It just propped into my head. Besides, a higher number gives you more time to simmer down."

"I suppose. I just wish I could tell her everything, but somehow I just don't feel like I can."

"You're protecting her. It's noble; something you've always done, but you won't be at it alone for very long."

Putting down his glass of orange juice, Harry stared at Cassie. "What do you mean by that?"

"Some things I just know," she muttered, not caring whether Harry heard her. She stood up from the table, quickly grabbing a muffin and gathering her things. "I'm sorry to leave in the middle of our conversation, but I've got to go. Good luck with your sister." She turned and stormed out of the Great Hall before Harry could even thank her for the advice.

..::..

_"Nobody knows who I am. Not the real me. It's not like anyone considers me a celebrity. Hardly anyone knew I existed until I was nine. And most that do just consider me an afterthought to his legacy."_

Dawn looked up from her diary briefly to see Ginny's sleeping form. After stealing the Invisibility Cloak from Harry, she had run up to her room briefly to get dressed and grab some things before she doubled-back to the hospital wing. She decided to move the stool over to Ginny's bedside to be there for her when she awoke. In the meantime, she needed to vent to someone, and she decided that the diary would just have to do.

_"No one understands. No one has the Boy Who Lived as an older brother. Everybody is curious about his opinions, the kind of magic he can do, how he can save the world. Just cause he lived. I live every day, but no one gives me any perks. __Dumbledore just winks and lets him run around the country throwing stunners at Death Eaters. 'Your brother's saving the world.' I could so save the world if somebody let me, took me along on his missions. But I'd think of a cool name and wear a mask to protect my loved ones, which Harry doesn't even do. Maybe if he did…"_

Dawn's tears blotted the page, causing the ink to run a little. She tried to maintain her composure and avoid crying for the second time that day. The pain was really fresh, and she wondered if it would ever go away. Maybe she would think about Sirius as often as she thought about the parents who never even got to hold her. Just another perk of being Harry's sister…

To avoid tearing up, Dawn turned back to a random page of the book to read the entries she had written from the middle of the term. That was a happier time, when everyone accepted Harry and Dumbledore's insanity instead of impending war.

_"Ginny's my best friend. She's only a few months older than me, but she made the cut, as her mum says, so she got to go to Hogwarts a whole year before I could. I used to hate her for it, at least during that long year. But, I didn't stay mad at her for long. I tend to cry a lot, and she hates tears, so she usually comforts me when I need it. She loves my brother and I think he likes her too. But they're both too stupid to figure it out on their own. She told me to stop keeping my diary after what happened to her during her first year, and she hates when I write anything too personal about her."_

As though her ears were burning, Ginny rolled over in her sleep, though she grit her teeth when her ankle hit the frame of the cot. She was probably given some pain-killing potion, though those potions usually wore off quickly.

Dawn looked around the room, searching for someone else to show any signs of life. Neville was currently trying to prop himself up, but he did it quietly enough to avoid waking up the others despite the pain on his face. He gave Dawn a huge smile and waved before putting his index finger to his mouth to signal her to stay quiet and avoid waking everyone up.

_"Truthfully, I never thought I would be friends with Neville. He was always awkward around me, like when we danced at the Yule Ball, but then during the D.A. meetings, we got to be pretty close. We tend to partner up and I'd like to think I taught him everything he knows. I know it's not true, but I like to think that. Harry can't have all the credit for everything."_

Neville had gotten up and was tiptoeing towards Hermione's bed to read her issue of the _Prophet_. Dawn didn't want to spoil the surprise headline, so she returned to reading her journal.

_"Hermione's pretty cool. She's the only one I know who likes school as much as I do. She can do spells and stuff that Harry would never be able to find on his own. Being the brains is so much cooler than being the brawn. If it wasn't for Hermione, I bet Harry would never have been so successful against…him."_

Him. Lord Voldemort. He had ruined her life, yet she didn't fear him. She only hated him. Plain and simple. But she could never write his name down exactly. Perhaps it was because of the horror stories Ginny, Harry, and Lupin had told her. Perhaps it was because she didn't want to whine about her situation, since she could be dead. But, really it was because she was grateful that he didn't even seem to acknowledge her existence. Being _just_ Harry's little sister did have _some_ perks.

Among them being love, friends, and quality time with the Weasleys. A few years ago, she probably would have considered time with one person in particular to be a huge bonus.

_"Ron. I used to have the biggest crush on him, even though Ginny tried to beat it out of me. (She is really good at that Bat-Bogey Hex.) I used to go on and on about how cute he is. And funny. And brave. He how he treats everyone like an equal; he knows that skill is what matters most, unlike other people I know. But then he told me that I'm the kid sister he wished he had. Ginny hexed him too for that backhanded compliment. Even if he didn't say that, he still doesn't look at me the way he looks at other girls."_

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ron move to sit up. He smiled at her, and opened his mouth. Dawn waited for any comment: a simple hello, a "How are you," maybe even a "Where am I?"

But then he grabbed a bucket next to his bed and puked. He wiped his mouth of with a towel before falling back to sleep as quickly as he had woken up.

_"They can have him,"_ Dawn wrote in the margin. Some other girl can deal with his disgustingness.

The door opened and Luna quietly walked in. She had some small cuts on her face, but nothing that would have kept her in the hospital wing. She stared at Dawn for a while before speaking.

"You don't belong here," she said silently. The words echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls of Dawn's brain. Those were her least favourite four words, having been repeated by Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley, Snape, Dumbledore, and even Harry himself.

Dawn wanted to tell her off, but she was more confused than angered. Luna never spoke ill of anyone. "What?" was all that came out of Dawn's mouth.

Luna looked at her, in the way that always felt to Dawn like she was looking though her, into her very essence and soul. "You don't have an appointment, and it's not visiting hours. You don't belong here." She decided to shrug it off though, and sat down next to Neville. They quietly recounted their tale from the night before, but Dawn wasn't that interested. Harry would tell her "everything" soon enough, and Ginny would fill in the numerous holes in his story.

She looked down at her diary: _"Luna's several months older than Ginny and me, so I'm not mad that she's a year above me. She's just strange. But the most insightful person I know."_

Dawn looked up at her conscious friends and smiled. Luna smiled back but said, "You would do well to avoid eating in the Forbidden Forrest." Neville and Dawn exchanged quizzical glances.

Looking down in her diary, Dawn decided to underline the next phrase, _"If only I could understand what she meant."_

Suddenly, there was a sharp scream of pain that permeated through the entire castle. Dawn looked up and sighed as she noticed Hermione up and clutching at her side. Madame Pomfrey ran in and forced her to drink four potions in quick succession, and Hermione was able to control her pain. She sat up, but was still clearly in discomfort. Madame Pomfrey noticed Dawn sitting there, but decided not to say anything. She likely realized that it was just going to be one of those days.

Returning to her original entry, Dawn decided to finish writing: _"I'm lucky. They probably could have gotten in way more trouble if he took me I guess. I would have only been a liability. Everyone's going to be okay, so stuff mostly worked out. But I'll miss Sirius. He may not have been my godfather, but I think he loved me just the same. The only thing I know for sure is that Harry's hardly changed at all. Like he ever would.__ He still thinks he's the hero and I'm little miss nobody, just his dumb little sister that can't work even the simplest of spells. Boy, is he in for a surprise."_

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It's a short introduction, but I'm so excited to hear what you think, so please review!


	2. Starts with Goodbye

I'm so glad that the first chapter was met with such positive responses! Between this site and TTH, I got seven reviews, which to me is a lot. Thank you all! (Especially cyberia for helping me with a dialectical issue.)

Instead of relying upon Dawn to provide her back-story (as in _Real Me_) or simply ignoring it, there will be flashbacks in the story (the large blocks of text at the beginning of the chapter is intended to be a flashback). They may raise questions as well, but those will be answered in due time. Also, if anyone was wondering about the timeline for both shows, I believe I make it clear in this chapter, along with relevant changes to the Key's history and past.

Disclaimer: While I own neither franchise, a portion of this chapter are derived from the episode "No Place Like Home" of Buffy.

Chapter 2: Starts with Goodbye

* * *

_ "Goodbye Harry!" the young girl screamed out from the platform as the _Hogwarts Express _pulled away. "Don't forget to write!" She yelled as she ran up the platform, her brown air whipping in her face as she ran. "I'll miss you!" She continued running until she ran out of room on the platform. There were tears in her eyes as she dropped to her knees._

_ Very few witches and wizards were still on the platform. The only ones that hadn't disapparated or left were the parents of first years, wanting to get one last look at their children before they left for the first time. Those that remained stared at the scene that the girl was making, unsure of what to do. They were relieved to see another young girl with fiery red hair walk up to her and kneel beside her._

_ "Hi Dawn," the red-head said meekly. "Do you remember me?_

_ Dawn looked up slightly, and her blue eyes met the red-head's browns. "Yes," she choked out between smiles._

_ Ginny smiled. Her mum, as Dawn's godmother, had taken Dawn and Ginny out for ice-cream a few times, usually to celebrate Dawn's birthday. They had become friends, but her mom's Tongue-Tying Charm had kept Dawn from saying anything to the Dursley's and Harry, lest they think that she had a good time and forbid her from going on those trips again._

_ "So, Harry's on the train?" Ginny asked, trying desperately to curb Dawn's tears._

_ "Yeah. I miss him already."_

_ "Really? My brother Ron's on that train and I'm glad that I have the house to myself until I go to Hogwarts."_

_ Dawn was silent for a moment before she began sobbing harder. Ginny sighed, as apparently, the thought of having more attention from her aunt and uncle was terrifying. Attempting to change the subject, Ginny asked Dawn a simple question: "Who brought you to King's Cross Station?"_

_ "My Uncle Vernon. But I think he left already," Dawn said, loudly enough so Molly Weasley could hear. After Arthur had disapparated to go to work, they were the only three left on the platform._

_ "Honey?" Molly asked gently. Both girls turned around. "Would you like to go home?"_

_ Upon hearing that request, Dawn broke down into tears again. Although she had one of the four bedrooms in the house, she could consider no worse a fate than being left alone, without Harry, in the house of people who didn't even want her around. Ginny wrapped her arm around Dawn and hugged her tight, as though they were long lost sisters. _

_ Her heart breaking at its seams, Molly knelt down next to the two girls. "Dawn, you remember that I'm your godmother, right?" She nodded, urging Molly to continue. "Well, I think I can arrange it so you can spend the school year with us at the Burrow, our home. Again, only during the school year, but that's probably better than living with your muggle relatives, right?" Dawn smiled wildly and hugged her godmother as tight as she could. "I guess that's a yes then?"_

..::..

_ Arthur arrived home from the Ministry late that night, mumbling about a bewitched peeber that was causing him trouble. By that point, Molly had sent both of the girls to bed, tired after a long day of the two young girls' "reconnecting."_

_ After a brief kiss, Arthur looked into her eyes and noticed her weariness. "I take it things went as you planned?"_

_ "Yes," Molly nodded, motioning him to sit at the table for dinner. "I was able to bring Dawn home."_

_ "Good, she'll spend the next two school years with us instead of those muggles. Did you set up Bill's room for her?"_

_ "No, I didn't. They asked to sleep in the same room."_

_ Arthur looked up from his meal. "That's wonderful! I'm glad that they're such fast friends. Did you move a bed or a cot into her room?" He noticed that she was fiddling with her ring, something she only did when she was nervous about divulging information. "Did you move a bed from the attic and break something? I don't know why you would be nervous about telling me."_

_ "Well, they said that they wanted to sleep in the same bed like a sleepover, and I couldn't say no when they looked so cute in their matching jammies. So, I enlarged the bed. They'll probably want the room to stay like that, but the Engorgement Charm won't last that long."_

_ "I don't see any problem with having them sleep in the same bed," Arthur exclaimed happily. "And you're an excellent witch, I'm sure your charm is very strong. So what's bothering you?"_

_ "I hope she likes living here. It could be a long two years if she doesn't," Molly was nearly babbling, still fidgeting with her ring._

_ "Why wouldn't she like it here? You're getting yourself all worked up over nothing."_

_ Molly sighed, though Arthur wasn't sure if it was out of relief or frustration. "I should probably check and see if they fell asleep. If they're going to stay up all night, she's going into Bill's room." Molly got up from the table and walked up the stairs to the Ginny's room. She pressed her ear to the door but heard nothing. As silently as possible, she opened the door a crack and peeked in._

_ Sure enough, the two girls were asleep. Ginny was snoring slightly, though the sound of her breathing was obscured by Dawn's outstretched hand, which covered her mouth. Unconsciously, Ginny knocked Dawn's hand away._

_ "They sure are something," Arthur whispered from behind her. As he spoke, Dawn rolled her arm over and smacked Ginny's head lightly. "It's as though…"_

_ "It's just like old times," Molly said quietly, tears rolling down her face._

..::..

Although it was Ron and Hermione's turn to patrol the _Hogwarts Express_, Harry offered to accompany Ron instead so she could continue reading the paper. To everyone in their compartment's surprise, she agreed. They had mostly stuck to small talk about Quidditch and their summer plans, but Ron felt that a certain subject needed to be breached.

"So, going back to the muggle relatives?" he asked.

Harry looked at him incredulously, appalled that he even mentioned the unfortunate situation. "Yes, you know I have to. I told you what Dumbledore said."

"Yeah, I know. Wards and all," Ron replied.

Harry put his arm on Ron's shoulder and pulled him aside into an empty compartment. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you have wards protecting your home. It seems simple. Even a third year could understand the concept."

Harry paced around the room. "I know what you're getting at! And it's not going to work!"

"I don't see why you can't tell Dawn. She has a right to know that her home is protected. She has a right to feel safe."

"One day she'll know," Harry conceded.

"When?"

Harry stopped his pacing and looked at his friend. "Why is it so important to you that Dawn knows about the wards?"

"I asked you first."

"I don't know," Harry admitted as he sat down. "She was so freaked out this summer after the Dementor attack. She was convinced that the only safe place was our house. She swore that she was never leaving again!"

"And it was the only safe place."

"She shouldn't be worried about going outside!" Harry shouted, though he quickly regained his composure, as he knew that he forgot to cast a silencing charm. "She shouldn't have to spend all of her days cooped up like I do."

"But don't you think she'd feel safer all around if she knew that she was protected?"

"I'm not answering another question until you answer mine."

Ron sighed. "You know that we think of you both as part of the family. And it breaks Dawn's heart, not to mention my mother's, every year when we have to tell her that she can't spend the entire summer."

"It's only two more summers…"

"That's not the point!" Ron interrupted. "You know why she can't join us! You know that living in that house with multiple members of your family that share your mum's blood strengthens the wards. And she doesn't!"

"And she won't," Harry threatened.

"I won't tell her. But you should. She deserves to know that the people who love her and _want _to take her in can't because she's safer with you in your home."

They sat there in silence, until Ron got up and opened the door. They resumed the small talk, both content to mull over their conversation instead of acting on it.

..::..

Later, they reentered their compartment on the train_,_ having returned after an eventful confrontation with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle that ended with a few hexes being thrown by various members of the DA. However, their conversation was still fresh on their minds, especially as Dawn turned away from them as they sat down.

"I take it she's still mad at me," Harry said to Ginny. It wasn't even a question, as Ginny had been acting as Dawn's messenger to Harry ever since they had returned from the Department of Mysteries.

"I am," Dawn said sullenly, "but I'll talk to you. It would be a long summer if I didn't." Harry sighed; it would certainly be a long summer.

Ginny and Dawn were sitting side-by-side, doing a crossword puzzle. If their tradition held, they would hold hands from the time the train stopped until Uncle Vernon grabbed her and forcibly took her off the platform, just as he had done for the past five years. Hermione pulled out the _Daily Prophet_ and snorted occasionally at the ridiculous things they printed while Neville was caring to his _Mimbulus Mibletonia_. Ron and Harry began to play Wizard's Chess when Hermione interrupted the silence.

"So Harry," Hermione began, "what now?" Her question was so simple, yet carried so much weight. All the eyes in the compartment turned to her.

"Well, I don't know. Umbridge is out of the picture, so I won't need to worry about Dementor attacks. Dumbledore just told me that I would be safe at the Dursley's and not to worry about it."

"Yeah, because we're _so_ safe there," Dawn muttered. Harry sighed, wishing that he could tell her the truth about the protection spells surrounding the house they called home, but he knew that this was just another thing better kept from her.

"So, he didn't say anything about going to the Burrow or doing work for the Order?" Hermione asked.

"He just said that I was safe at the Dursley's," Harry replied. "What are you trying to figure out?"

"Nothing," Hermione said unconvincingly.

"Come on then Harry," Ron urged, "let's go back to our…"

"It's just that there are all these stories in the _Prophet,_" Hermione began. "You-Know-Who seen here, such-and-such Death Eater interrogated, how to defend against Dementors. There almost seems to be a panic, but the war hasn't even started."

"No, it's started. But there's nothing we can do right now," Harry said. "We're lucky the Trace wasn't activated in the Department of Mysteries. We would've been expelled. We can't do anything except recover our strength and wait until the next term starts."

Hermione sighed. "Dumbledore didn't even give you anything to research though? He's back, and I feel like we need to be doing something."

"Nope." But then Harry noticed something peculiar about the way Hermione was asking. "You didn't take any initiative, did you?"

The brown haired girl shrugged and pointed to a rather large stack of books on top of her trunk. "I may have taken a few volumes out of the library…"

"A few?" Ron snorted.

"Well, just in case he needed us to do some research."

"Us?" Ron snorted again.

Their conversation was mercifully interrupted when Michael Corner passed their compartment on the way to the bathroom. "I'm so glad you dumped him," Dawn said. "He was so annoying after that Quidditch match."

Ginny shot her a look for mentioning him and nearly pulled out her ward, but Ron interrupted her. "You mean you rid yourself of that git?" Ginny nodded. "Thank goodness!"

Dawn giggled when Ginny turned to look at her. "I guess we can't find our soul-mates in our third year now can we?" she pointed out as innocently as she could. Dawn elbowed her in the ribs, but the damage was done.

"What now?" Harry asked suddenly. His hands reflexively clenched into fists.

"Oh nothing," Dawn mumbled.

"You… you fancy someone, don't you?" Harry stammered. "Who?"

"No one."

"Don't be modest about your relationship Dawnie," Ginny teased.

"Who?" Harry asked again.

"Cullugh…" Dawn muttered beneath her breath.

"Who now?" Ginny prodded.

"Colin," Dawn whispered as softly as she could.

"Colin? You mean Colin Creevey? Since when?" Harry groaned.

"For a couple of weeks," Dawn admitted. "He's really nice."

"Nice," Harry scoffed. "Bloody hell, couldn't you be seeing someone less annoying?"

"And who is less annoying then Colin?" Dawn asked innocently.

"I don't know—anyone!" Harry moaned. "Besides, you're too young to be…"

"Someone like Dean?" Dawn asked, cutting off his train of thought. Ginny caught wind of what she was doing and gave her a small shove.

"No, not Dean," Harry said to Ginny's chagrin, "he's too old for you. At least Colin's only a few months older than you. Dean's older than me!"

"Lighten up Harry," Ron said with a laugh. "Dean's a great guy."

"I'm glad you said that Ron..." Dawn started before Ginny stomped on her foot. Hermione covered her face with her paper to keep herself from laughing. "What was that for Ginny?" Dawn asked.

"Shut your mouth!" Ginny exclaimed.

"I don't know what you're…" Dawn began.

"You're ruining this train ride. Ron, I'm seeing Dean. Now are we even Dawn?"

"Yes," Dawn replied, and the girls attempted to return to their crossword as though nothing happened.

"WHAT!" Ron exclaimed loudly, overturning the chess set in the process. His exasperation wasn't noticed by the two girls, who had returned to their sullen ritual.

"Lighten up Ron," Harry sneered.

..::..

The rest of the train ride was largely uneventful. Sure enough, as soon as the train came to a halt, Ginny and Dawn grabbed each other's hands and held on tight. When they disembarked, they were surprised to see such a congregation of people there to greet them. They never even laid eyes upon her though, as moments after their arrival Arthur led Mad-Eye and Tonks over to intimidate the Dursleys, leaving the girls alone with Molly.

"Hello dear," she said as she hugged each girl individually, careful not to break their link. "I assume that the last few days of school were less eventful?"

"Yes mum," both girls replied in a subdued tone.

"Good," she said with a chuckle. "Now listen Dawnie, if you behave I'll see if I can't force Dumbledore to move you to the Burrow or something for the last month of summer."

"Okay," Dawn replied meekly. She was hoping to go there for the whole summer, but seeing how Harry kept insisting that they would be safe at the Dursley's, she could see how Dumbledore wouldn't allow it.

"Hurry up girl!" Uncle Vernon hollered. "We're leaving!"

Dawn and Ginny hugged, having said goodbye to everyone else on the train. "Promise to write!" they both said at the same time. Uncle Vernon then came over, and grabbed Dawn's open hand to pull her out of the station, which was rather subdued compared to last year, when he had picked her up and dragged her kicking and screaming to the car.

As Dawn was waving goodbye to her friends, she hardly noticed the tears falling from Molly's eyes.

..::..

_They ran. For his entire life, the young monk had lived in fear of it, the one thing that could destroy the world. They had all sworn themselves to secrecy, to the protection of the Key._

_ However, running from it was never part of their vows. Carrying the final books and candles they needed for the ritual, he hurried down the dimly lit corridor as fast as his legs could carry him. Somehow, it had found them, and even as he bolted the chamber shut, he knew they were not safe from it._

_ "It's coming," he said to his brother._

_ "Our lives aren't important. We have to protect the Key."_

_ "Hurry!" a third monk motioned. The three formed a circle with their most senior member, an old man who had prepared an outer circle of candles and magical talismans._

_ "It is time for the ritual," the old man said as something began wildly pounding on the door. "We must hide the Key from it."_

_ "Where?" the young monk asked._

_ "The Key will not be safe where it lies in wait," the old man began. "We must send The Key to the Chosen One, who will protect the Key from both threats to the world. Now we begin."_

_ After a few moments, a breeze picked up in the chamber, and the monks knew their ritual was working. "Concentrate! Concentrate!" the old man yelled as the pounding intensified. As if on cue, a bright flash of light emanated from the center of their circle, just as the door broke. There was nearly complete darkness as bits of broken wood flew everywhere. The old man tapped the young monk on the back and said, "Run my son. Someone must survive to warn against its arrival. We shall give you enough time to escape."_

_ The young monk opened a trapdoor as it entered the room, threatening the entire universe. He never saw their attacker, as his brethren managed to keep it from following him. He began running through the woods and away from the monastery, not looking back once lest a momentary glance slow him down. Armed with the knowledge to save the world, he prayed that he could safely reach someone who could continue the monastery's last task and protect the Key._

..::..

"Hey, it was you who planted the Dagon Sphere, right?" a female voice asked.

The young woman, who was struggling to free the brother from his bonds, tore the monk out of his semi-conscious state. Although he could not see her, he was certain that this was Buffy, the slayer. His brief capture and torture could all be worth it if he could deliver the message to her.

"I have it," she continued, presumably babbling over the Dagon Sphere, oblivious to the Beast, his tormentor, looming over her from behind. The brother tried desperately to warn her to its presence, but she was unaware of the danger. "We're not alone, I've got friends who can help you. Don't worry. I'm stronger than I look." She was finally able to undo the last of the ropes that kept him to the chair. "I've got some experience with this. And best of all," she then turned to face the beast, grabbing it by the throat. "I'm not stupid."

It managed to pry her hands away from its neck before launching the slayer across the room. "Are you sure about that last part?" it taunted.

Their battle continued for some time, albeit almost entirely one-sidedly. The monk could not move his eyes, let alone his head, fast enough to keep up with their movements. He nearly fell back into unconsciousness when the slayer grabbed him and jumped out of a window to escape.

They hobbled along for a few strides, but the pain was too great. "Stop, please…" he begged.

Buffy set him down on the sidewalk. "We've got to keep moving," she insisted.

The monk coughed, knowing that his last breaths were upon him. Those last precious exhalations needed to be used wisely. "You have to…The Key. You must protect the Key."

"Protect the Key, yeah I know we'll do it together." She continued naively blathering.

"Many have died…many more if you don't…keep it safe," he wheezed out between gasps.

"How? What is it?" Yes, death managed to catch the slayer's attention.

"The Key is magical energy. It can be a portal…open the door." His heart was slowing, there was still so much more to tell her.

"That round glowy thing?"

The brother used some of his last remaining strength to shake his head. "For the last millennium…it had no form at all. My brethren…its only keepers. Then…the abomination…found us…we had to hide The Key…gave it form…molded it flesh, made it human…sent it to be safe."

"To me?" Buffy questioned.

"No…to him…the chosen one…but we are not magical enough to go there…but it is protected…by the magic." His lungs were giving in to gravity and refusing to budge. He forced his muscles to move for the message was not complete. "The beast…can not enter…you can…find the school…protect the Key…for the boy is not strong enough…" His last breath escaped his lips and the monk contentedly slipped away, pleased that he accomplished the goal.

"Wait!" Buffy screamed while shaking the monk. "What boy? What chosen one? What school?" Even as her pleas fell on dead ears, she resolved to find this Key and stop the Beast.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please review and give me feedback! I love hearing from you!

If you're interested, there is a reason why Dawn is in a relationship with Colin. It is more than just a whim. And although I added a glimpse of Sunnydale, it will be a while before we see them again. We're just getting started here!


	3. Get Out of This Town

Thanks to everyone who is reading this story. I'm glad that people are enjoying the flashbacks, as those are my favorite to write. I'm also thrilled that people are reading so much into them! I been leaving a lot of clues in the flashbacks, so please continue to do so.

On a side note, for right now updating every other week is working out really well. I'm pleased with the length and quality of the chapters this process is producing.

Disclaimer: Though I own neither franchise, parts of this chapter contain material that originally appeared in Chapters 3 and 4 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

**Chapter 3: Get Out of This Town**

* * *

_Dumbledore sat in the waiting room of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, confused as to why his presence had been urgently requested. The healer who had sent the letter was apparently busy treating someone, so the great wizard was reduced to waiting._

_ "Professor Dumbledore?" asked a young man, no older than forty. Dumbledore recognized him immediately from his time at Hogwarts, though he couldn't quite place a name to the face._

_ "Yes, hello again," Dumbledore said knowingly, making the young man smile at the thought of his former headmaster remembering him. "I see you pursued your dream quite successfully."_

_ The younger man chuckled slightly, but his face was grim. "I appreciate that sir, but unfortunately I had no one else to contact in regards to this matter."_

_ Dumbledore didn't try to hide the sadness behind his eyes. He went on a lot of these trips, identifying members of the Order who had no living family left. He had hoped that Voldemort's defeat would have led to the end of such events, but they hadn't stopped. Just last week he had to identify Frank and Alice Longbottom as they writhed and twitched from an attack by Bellatrix Lestrange and other Death Eaters. Sighing, he asked, "So where is the body?"_

_ "Body?" the young man replied confusedly. "I'm sorry, but you must have misunderstood my message. This is about a baby."_

_ "A baby?" the elder wizard wondered. "Why did you owl me about a baby?"_

_ The healer motioned for Dumbledore to follow him. "You see, about three weeks ago a man named Sirius Black brought us a baby that was delivered in the home of James and Lily Potter, but they apparently were unable to come to the hospital for delivery or standard neonatal care. Then of course..."_

_ He trailed off, but it wasn't like Dumbledore didn't know where this story was going. However, his news was indeed most confusing. He had never heard of Lily's pregnancy, though he had hardly visited their home since the Fidelius Charm had been placed upon it. They had likely avoided the subject as well, fearing that Dumbledore would perceive their blessing as carelessness, though there was nothing he could do about it now. Alas, under ordinary circumstances they might have been able to have the big family they always wanted._

_ "We tried contacting Sirius, until we found that he was taken to Azkaban." Dumbledore nodded gravely at the healer's comment, following him into the nursery. "He had given us the names of the godparents, but because of the child's lineage we did not want to risk accidently contacting a muggle. So, we figured that we should allow you to make the proper arrangements."_

_ The healer stopped suddenly at a crib and picked up a small baby wrapped in a pink blanket and handed her to Dumbledore. "What's her name?" he asked, the first thing he had said since the healer began explaining her origin._

_ "Sirius wrote down Dawn Sumerlyn Potter. Her birth date was given as October 29__th__ and her godparents are Remus Lupin and Molly Weasley. That's all we have on her."_

_ The baby's bright blue eyes met Dumbledore's own, and he smiled at the youngest child of James and Lily, the one they hardly got to hold. Her eyes were curious: they were not the bright emerald of Lily and Harry, nor were they James' deep brown. Her little patch of hair was also a rich black, a deeper shade than James' raven. Her features just seemed to have come out of nowhere. "Dawn Sumerlyn Potter. Quite a pretty name, isn't it? Perhaps a little long for such a tiny thing."_

_ "Obviously the first priority is finding a home for her, but you know who to contact, yes?"_

_ "Indeed I do," he replied with a chuckle. Only very few Ministry officials knew that he had been the one to place Harry in the care of his relatives. However, from what he had heard from some of his spies, he doubted that they would be caring enough to take a third toddler into their home. In fact, he was surprised that they had taken Harry at all. No, he would need to think of some other arrangement, at least until Harry was three and old enough to retain memories._

_..::.._

_ "Ah Professor Dumbledore!" Arthur Weasley exclaimed happily. "I was hoping that you would stop by soon. I have a bottle of firewhiskey ready for a celebration!"_

_ The headmaster took a step into the foyer of the Burrow, having arrived by floo. He noticed the scattering of toys around the room, the sound of babies crying, and the red-headed boys running around like banshees. Instantly he felt guilty about coming to ask such a tremendous favor._

_ "I'm afraid this isn't a social call Arthur," he solemnly stated._

_ "Yes, they never are celebratory visits, are they?" Arthur nodded with a frown._

_ "Well, I didn't say that exactly," Dumbledore chuckled, causing Arthur's happy expression to return. "Where's Molly?"_

_ "Upstairs in the nursery with our youngest, Ronald and Ginevra. How's Harry doing? You did place him with those muggles, correct?"_

_ "Supposedly he's doing well." In reality, he wished that Lily's sister was more receptive towards the Wizarding World. If she was, then maybe he could've dropped the baby off with her, but instead his hand was forced. The sound of crying ceased, and he heard the pitter-patter of Molly running down several flights of stairs._

_ "Professor!" Molly said, embracing him. "What a wonderful surprise."_

_ "Yes, I apologize for that, but I actually come with good news."_

_ "I never thought I would hear you say that," Arthur exclaimed. "But now that You-Know-Who is gone, it seems like there's more good news published every day."_

_ "Yes, among the news that wasn't published was the birth of Dawn Sumerlyn Potter," said Dumbledore, delivering the news with the subtlety of a Reductor Curse._

_ "That is wonderful news," Molly said. "But surely that's not the reason you're here? The school term is in session after all."_

_ Clearing his throat, Dumbledore continued. "I'm afraid you're correct. Unfortunately, I am not on good terms with the relatives Harry is staying with, and I fear that if I leave another baby on their doorstep, they will refuse to take care of either child."_

_ "So, what does this have to do with us?" Arthur asked warily._

_ "Dawn's godmother is none other than Molly." Hearing this news, Molly let out a happy gasp. "I was hoping you could help raise her until Harry is a little older and his muggle relatives will be more receptive to taking her in."_

_ There was silence in the room, other than the sound of five young boys running around the house. Arthur and Molly exchanged glances, but they didn't feel as though there was an option. "Well," she began, "there's no question that I will take Dawn in as one of my own."_

_ "The only precaution I shall give you is that this situation is temporary. Harry must not be deprived of having a loving family member. He'll certainly need one."_

_ The parents of now eight children nodded as Dumbledore went to the fireplace to return to his office. Seconds later, he reentered with a pink bundle, the one that he himself had received only hours before, which they accepted into their home and into their hearts._

..::..

The world began coming into focus. Dumbledore found himself keenly aware of the chair he was sitting in, the knickknacks on his desk in front of him, and the light sounds of Fawkes cooing. Staring at him was his Potions Master, Severus Snape.

They sat in silence, neither wanting to comment on what they had just seen. Until, finally, Dumbledore rubbed his temple and asked, "Did you confirm my suspicions?"

The younger man sighed as he sat down. "I can't be sure. You are a skilled Occlumens. It is entirely possible that you were just so prepared for my intrusion that you were able to hide enough of your memory from me."

"But you did see the signs of tampering?"

"It was a little wispy, but most older memories show signs of aging. Beyond that, I can't be sure if I saw anything…suspicious."

Glancing towards his injured finger, Dumbledore raised the thought that both men had been skirting around. "Could this ring have altered my memories?"

"No, it's impossible based on your circumstances. Any damage done to your memories by a curse would have caused the memories to appear damaged when removed from your head. But they looked fine in the Pensieve. Therefore, if you are indeed correct in your suspicions…"

"I assure you that I am."

Snape gave a brief skeptical look before continuing. "_If_ you are correct," he placed an emphasis on the if, refusing to give in to what he assumed were mere delusions, "there would be more damage to your memories than being a little fuzzy. All inconsequential memories show such signs of aging. Surely you know that."

The elder professor stood up from his desk and stared out his window. "But nearly all of memories involving the Potters feel foreign. I've tried every counter to False-Memory Charms I could think of, but yet they still don't feel quite right."

"I am unable to find any proof to confirm your claims. What is it exactly that makes you this skeptical?"

"I can't be sure. It's a feeling that somehow my memories weren't quite what they were before."

Snape looked around his office before his eyes stumbled upon Dumbledore's collections of memories in the cupboard near the cabinet. "Do any of those memories pertain to Harry directly?"

The door to the cupboard suddenly closed. "None of those particular memories have Harry in them. Only one of them actually involves Harry, but it is exactly as I remember it." Dumbledore's sudden dismal of the memories confused the Potions Master, but he disregarded it. The whole ordeal was confusing in and of itself.

"Well, I'm not sure if there is anything that would cause your memories of Harry to show signs of tampering…"

The elder wizard turned to face Snape, whose voice had suddenly trailed off. "Do you have a theory Severus?"

"I may be grasping at straws, but I believe there may have been a global memory spell cast."

"A global memory spell?" Dumbledore muttered under his breath. Yes, of course they were possible. Irreversibly changing the memories of a populace. He had known of Ministry officials tampering with the memory of entire Muggle countries following Grindelwald's defeat, but he had never heard of them casting the spell on wizards. "Why would one be cast?"

"Why isn't the issue," Snape began pulling out papers from his cauldron. "The issue is the strength of the spell. If they were trying to fool an entire population of wizards, the spell would have to be incredibly strong, ancient magic the likes of which we have never seen."

"But, ancient magic wouldn't account for Legilimens," Dumbledore finished. Legilimency was a relatively newer branch of magic, having been discovered only five hundred or so years ago.

"Precisely. Advanced Legilimens would be affected, but not entirely. They would be so acutely aware of their memories that they would notice the tampering…"

"Though we wouldn't be able to uncover the meaning behind the changes," Dumbledore again finished. "What leads you to this theory of ancient magic?"

Snape began rifling through his cauldron and retrieved a slip of parchment, which he promptly handed to the headmaster. On it was a simply written note: "Severus, I require your unique services."

"This is from Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked as he pocketed the note.

Snape nodded. "Indeed, it is from the Dark Lord. And I assume that my unique services are Legilimency and Occlumency."

"He wishes to probe your mind." Again, Snape nodded. "He probably noticed that his memories were tampered with the same way I did and came to a similar conclusion. He thinks that there may be evidence of tampering in your memories as well."

"So, what do you make of it?"

Dumbledore paced around his office. "I think that there must be a reason for such use of ancient magic. Do whatever you can to protect memories that may show signs of tampering."

"If we are correct and there has been some sort of spell cast, then what is the reason?" Snape asked, echoing Dumbledore's earlier question. "It is unlikely that an event was removed from our memory, as that would not affect all of your memories regarding a single person. Rather, something must have been changed in our memories that has drastic repercussions."

"I'm afraid that whatever reason there is, we must discover what was added before Voldemort does. Otherwise, who knows what could happen or who could be in danger."

..::..

"Dawn!" Harry bellowed. "Where did you put my letters?" He had been searching all over their room to find them, but was so far unsuccessful. It had been hard sharing this tiny room with his sister when she was nine and his relatives decided to move him out of the cupboard and into her room. Now, it was near impossible.

"Haven't seen them," she said as she entered the room, putting in her earrings. "By the way, can I borrow Hedwig?"

"Why?" Harry asked, reaching under Dawn's bed for the umpteenth time. "Trying to respond to my letters?"

"I'm telling you, I haven't seen them. Besides, I just wanted to send Ginny a letter. It's past your birthday and we still haven't gone to the Burrow." She picked up a brush from the cluttered counter and concentrated on her hair.

"Dumbledore will let us go soon enough." Harry pulled himself off the floor. "Are you sure you haven't seen them?"

"I don't know. Are they with your papers?"

"I didn't see them there but I'll check again." He moved over to the pile of newspapers and began searching through them frantically. "Why do you look so nice?"

Dawn frowned and looked down at her yellow dress. "Well, you know that Colin lives in Surrey too." Harry was nodding absentmindedly as he tore through his pile of papers. "Well, his mum wants to meet me, so his family is taking me out to dinner. When she was on the phone with Uncle Vernon, she had to rant about how she hated magic until he agreed to give me the phone to finalize the plans."

"That's nice," he muttered, still searching for a piece of parchment whose importance was lost on her. He began tossing the papers aside and she could see the various headlines. HARRY POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE? SCRIMGEOUR SUCEEDS FUDGE. He began to throw them too fast for her to read the titles.

"You're welcome to come. You know they're dying to meet you almost as much as me. So can I borrow Hedwig or not?"

"I suppose you can." Dawn smiled at his answer and grabbed a slip of paper from the counter.

"Hi Hedwig," she said as she opened the cage, careful to retreat her finger as soon as it was open. The owl hooted slightly, more towards Harry than her. Hedwig never really liked her, especially since she had gotten the owl in trouble for using her without Harry's permission on a few occasions, and often nipped her for no apparent reason. "Can you take this to Ginny?" Dawn asked before beginning to tie the paper to her leg. She looked towards Harry before hooting a tacit approval and taking off through the window.

"It's your turn to clean the cage," Harry said, tossing a newspaper towards her.

"Is not!" she yelled as she threw the paper back at him. "Besides, she's your owl, I'm all dressed up for a date, and I cleaned it last time."

"But you're the one using her to send a letter," he ended the argument by handing her a newspaper and walking out of the room.

She groaned as she pulled the tray out from under the cage. Before she dumped the contents into the garbage can, she noticed the paper used to line the tray. "Uh, Harry. I may have found your letters."

Harry ran back into the room and peered into the tray. He gave the tray a little shake to see his letters used to collect owl droppings. Peering up at his was a letter addressed from Dumbledore. "Dear Harry, If it is convenient to you, I shall call at number four, Privet Drive this coming Friday at nine p.m. to escort you and your sister to the Burrow, where you have been invited to spend the remainder of your school holidays. If you are agreeable, I should also be glad to have your assistance in a matter to which I hope to attend on the way to the Burrow. I shall explain this more fully when I see you. Kindly send your answer by return of this owl. Hoping to see you this Friday, I am yours most sincerely**,** Albus Dumbledore"

He sighed as he dumped the contents of the tray, including his letter, into the garbage. Dumbledore would be coming to pick them both up tonight, but Dawn would be out. Under other circumstances he would tell her to skip the date, but when it came to Colin, anything Harry did was just interpreted as being done out of hatred.

"Sorry sorry sorry!" Dawn said as she took the tray back from Harry and began lining it with bits of actual newspaper. "I must've been distracted when I was doing it last time."

"It's fine," Harry groaned.

Dawn frowned. She was about to argue, but the sound of a car horn honking interrupted her.

"I guess that's your precious Colin," he said as he walked out the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dawn shouted, following him down the steps.

"To give Colin a fair bit of advice."

"No you're not!" she screeched as she slapped his hand away from the doorknob.

"Someone has to tell him exactly what'll happen if he doesn't get you home on time."

"Shut up Harry! I can take care of myself! Besides, we're eating dinner with his parents and his siblings!"

"Listen, just let me be the big brother and I'll let you be the little sister." He again began to reach for the doorknob, but looked up to see Dawn's wand pointed squarely at his face. "You wouldn't dare. Any use of spells in this house will get both of us expelled. Not to mention what Uncle Vernon will do."

She smirked. "No, any use of magic in this house will get _you_ expelled, especially after what happened last year. It'll only get me a warning, since it would be my first violation."

He grit his teeth. "You wouldn't."

They stared at each other for a good few minutes until the car honked again. Harry sighed as he retreated upstairs, but not before getting in the last word. "Just remember, if he touches you, it'll be the last thing he touches."

"It won't be because of you!"

"Just be back before 9 because Dum…"

"Don't tell me what to do!" she shouted as she slammed the door shut behind her. He cursed her ability to always get the final say. However, he returned to their room to finish packing. Regardless of what time Dawn returned, Dumbledore would be coming that night to take them to the Burrow. Hopefully he would be willing to wait if she was not on time, or at least leave a portkey so she could follow them.

Meanwhile, Dawn walked out to the sole car in front of Number 4 Privet Drive, a red SUV of some foreign make she didn't recognize. Colin was waving frantically from the backseat, having already opened a sliding door that would have caused Mr. Weasley to gape in wonder. The flash of his camera made her feel like a celebrity being followed by the paparazzi.

"Hey there beautiful," he said as she sat down next to him. They kissed briefly, before Dawn noticed four other people staring at her.

"Oh hello," Dawn stuttered out, her face lit up brighter than the car. "I'm Dawn."

"We gathered that from your tongue being down his throat," a girl, Colin's younger sister, said from behind her. Dawn turned a brighter shade of red than the car itself.

"Amanda, that's enough," her mother said.

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing," Amanda clarified. "It shut him up."

"Amanda!" her mother chided again. Amanda turned to face out the window. "It's okay Dawn, we know that you weren't snogging." Mrs. Creevey's comments didn't make her feel any better, nor did it make the situation any less embarrassing. Mr. Creevey began to drive and the car was filled with an awkward silence.

"Mum, Dawn's a full year above me in school," Dennis mercifully said from the back.

"Wait, I thought you were Colin's age?" Mr. Creevey asked, though keeping his eyes fully on the road.

"I am, I just didn't make the cut," said Dawn, thankful that Dennis' stupid comment saved her from the awkwardness.

The small talk continued through the beginning of dinner, with many riveting questions: Were your parents wizards? (Yes, though they died shortly after I was born.) Is your aunt or your uncle a wizard? (Funny you should ask. No. Nor do they even like to acknowledge our existence.) Do you have any siblings? (Yes, I'm sure Colin's told you about my brother Harry.) What's your favorite class at Hogwarts? (Charms and Potions.) Did you know about magic before you went to school? (Technically, but only because Harry is two years older and I spent some time with magical friends while he was at school.) Have you ever had a boyfriend before? (No comment Amanda.)

After they had ordered, Amanda excused herself to go to the toilet. "I'll join you," Dawn said, mostly to avoid more questions about her past.

"You didn't have to come with me," Amanda groaned as she ducked into a stall. "I don't need a witch to escort me to the loo."

"I know," responded Dawn as she adjusted her makeup in the mirror. "I wanted to talk. How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Are you in Year Seven then?"

"Eight. But what do you care?"

"I want to get to know you."

"Why?"

"I think we're a lot alike," Dawn responded. From what Colin had told her about his sister, it certainly seemed like they would have a lot in common. But the younger girl had given her little to work with.

"I doubt it. You're a witch. You…"

"Know how it feels to be overlooked." There was silence in the room, as though Dawn had cast a silencing charm. "I have a brother that's the most famous person in the wizarding world. I live with an aunt and uncle that wish I didn't exist, nearly all of my professors all compare me to my brother, though that's not always a bad thing, and he never stops treating me like I need him to hold my hand in a zebra crossing."

"I guess you do understand," Amanda said with a smile as she exited the stall. "I just wish we had more time to talk. If we spend any more time in here, my mum's going to think we're sick."

They both laughed. "Listen, are your brothers allowed to send you letters via owl from school?"

"Yeah. Don't tell them, but Dad hates it when they do because they always poop on his milk truck. I think it's funny though."

"Then we'll keep in touch. No matter what happens to me and your brother."

"I'd like that," Amanda said, applying some of Dawn's blush.

"Good. It'll give me someone to write to after one of my pen pals had an unfortunate accident." They smiled as they returned to the table. Colin seemed slightly unnerved to see his girlfriend and sister acting so cordially after they had gotten off to such a rocky start, but he said nothing of it.

..::..

Harry resisted the urge to vomit as the pressure from Dumbledore's apparition subsided. A quick glance revealed that he had taken them to the Burrow after their successful visit to Professor Slughorn.

"If you don't mind Harry," said Dumbledore, as they passed through the gate, "I'd like a few words with you before we part. In private; perhaps in here?"

Dumbledore pointed to a run-down stone outhouse where the Weasleys kept their broomsticks. A little puzzled, Harry followed Dumbledore through the creaking door into a space a little smaller than the average cupboard. Dumbledore illuminated the tip of his wand and smiled down at Harry.

After commending Harry on how well he was coping with Sirius' death, Dumbledore broached a more sensitive topic. "Now, I think I am correct in saying that you have not told anybody that you know what the prophecy said."

"Er, not exactly," said Harry. He winced, expecting Dumbledore to be displeased that he had trusted this information to others.

Instead, Dumbledore's usual twinkle was visible through his half-moon glasses. "I'm glad that you saw fit to relax it in favor of your closest friends and sister."

"Not exactly. Ron and Hermione know about everything: the prophecy, the wards, even the near possession. If I learned anything from the last few years, it's that I need to trust those two more. But I couldn't tell Dawn. I didn't want…"

"To worry or frighten her?" Dumbledore interrupted. "Or perhaps, to confess that you yourself are worried and frightened? You can't protect her forever Harry, as you need your sister as much as she needs you."

Harry said nothing, but Dumbledore did not seem to be expecting an answer. He continued, "Has your scar been ailing you?" Harry apparently didn't hide his surprise at the abrupt change of subject, as Dumbledore then said, "It is a matter of great urgency."

Furrowing his brows, Harry said, "I guess no more than usual. It prickles when he's angry, but considering the headlines in the _Daily Prophet_, I'm not surprised that he has trouble containing his anger sometimes."

Dumbledore nodded, but resumed his line of questioning. "Have you felt him attempt to enter your mind at all?"

"No," Harry said warily. "I thought you said that you didn't anticipate him trying that again."

The elder wizard nodded. "I did say that, but it never hurts one to be cautious." He looked down at his scarred hand and realized the irony of his words. But, if Voldemort was genuinely concerned about his modified memories, he might have attempted to probe the mind of his worst enemy to see if Harry was aware of the changes. Thankfully, that did not seem to be the case, giving Dumbledore time to figure out why their memories were modified.

"On a different, though related subject, it is my wish that you take private lessons with me this year."

"Private — with you?" said Harry, surprised that this statement came out of the prolonged silence.

"Yes. I think it is time that I took a greater hand in your education."

"What will you be teaching me, sir?"

"Oh, a little of this, a little of that," Dumbledore said airily. He planned to teach him more about their enemy, specifically about the Horcuxes, but he was curious to probe Harry's mind. He had only found a handful of memories regarding Harry that weren't modified and he wanted to see the condition of Harry's memories.

After a few questions and stern warnings, Dumbledore escorted Harry into the Burrow. He wanted desperately to explain everything in full, but this was neither the time nor place. Revealing to Harry that he feared some great, unknown, ancient power that had the ability to modify everyone's memories would only scare the young savior.

..::..

"I had a great time tonight," Dawn said as Colin walked her to the front porch. She saw a light flash from her window upstairs and she assumed Harry was on his way to the foyer to keep a close eye on them. "It was so nice to meet your family."

Colin leaned in and kissed Dawn lightly. "I had a great time tonight too. They really seemed to like you."

Dawn reached over to kiss him deeply, sweetly. Colin looked surprised by her willingness to snog with his entire family looking on from the car, not even knowing that Harry was likely behind the door, but didn't seem too upset. "I'm glad they liked me. That'll give them one more thing to talk about on the way home."

"You really are something. Where have you been all my life?" Colin asked sweetly.

"Right under your nose. Goodnight." Dawn gave him her best flirtatious glance before ducking into the house.

However, she was unnerved by the absence of her brother, who she expected to be right at the door, fuming about their long goodbye. "Hello? Harry?"

There was no response, but she didn't want to risk waking her uncle up. It was only 11:02PM according to her watch, but perhaps Harry was asleep too. "Hello?" She lightly knocked on the door to their room before entering. Hearing no response, she opened it, and was shocked to find that all of their belongings, save the sheets on their bed, were gone.

Dawn clenched her fists and grit her teeth. Why was she _always_ left behind? But before she could release her rage on the wall, she noticed a snowy owl rapping on the window. She opened it and let Hedwig in. The owl dropped a letter on Dawn's lap from Ginny. Without reading it, Dawn grabbed a scrap of paper from the garbage. She scribbled on it a simple note: "Next time I see you, you're so dead!"

"Can you give this to Harry?" Hedwig hooted affirmatively. "Can you bite his finger when you do?" Hedwig remained silent. "Can you tell me where he is?" The owl took off through the window, leaving Dawn alone in a room with just two beds. "A simple no would have sufficed!" she yelled after the bird.

..::..

Meanwhile, Harry sat on his bed in Fred and George's room on the second floor. He wasn't quite sure whether it was Fred's bed or George's bed, as both were made up for visitors and it didn't seem like the room had been used by anyone for months beforehand. In fact, with all of Dawn and Harry's belongings in the room along with the boxes the twins had left behind, it looked more like a storage closet than a bedroom.

Although it was customary for Dawn to sleep with Ginny in her room, Mrs. Weasley had insisted that Dawn sleep in this room for the night, as the portkey Dumbledore left for her would be activated at 11PM to whisk her to the Burrow, far too late to get her situated in Ginny's room. Harry had pleaded for the portkey to be triggered by her touch so there wouldn't be any chance of her missing it, but apparently in these times that was too risky. So he hoped that Dawn would be back from dinner with time to spare.

Sure enough, just as a chime downstairs signaled the hour, a bright flash lit up the room and Dawn's hairbrush landed in the center. Horrified, Harry picked it up and saw that his original note was attached: "Dawn, Dumbledore came to pick us up while you were out but we couldn't wait for you so we had to leave. Your hairbrush will portkey you to the Burrow at 11PM."

He put the brush down on Dawn's trunk and cringed. "I'm so dead."

* * *

Okay, so maybe it's a little bit of a cliffhanger, but I originally was going to leave out the last Harry part until the next chapter to leave some suspense. Then I realized that I didn't want to leave people thinking that Harry is a jerk.

So, Dumbledore seems to be very worried about these memories, though he isn't exactly sure who is responsible. And a lot of people correctly guessed that there was some significance to the Molly/Dawn relationship after reading the prior chapter. I just figured that there was no way in hell the Dursleys would take in another baby (especially a "freak") to have three kids in diapers in the house at one time, hence why the Weasleys took Dawn in until Harry was three (which is typically the age people can trace their oldest memory to).

Thanks for reading! Please give me feedback so I know that you're enjoying the story! (Spelling and grammar corrections are always appreciated as well!)


	4. Temporary Home

Disclaimer: Parts of this chapter were directly adapted from Chapter 22 of _Prisoner of Azkaban_ and from Chapters 5 and 6 of _Half-Blood Prince_.

Chapter 4: Temporary Home

* * *

_ "Resigned firs' thing this mornin'. Says he can't risk it happenin' again." Hagrid's words repeated themselves over and over again in Harry's mind. He couldn't believe that Snape was taking all of his frustration out on Lupin._

_ Lupin's office door was open. He had already packed most of his things. The Grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Lupin was seated at his desk, staring at a young girl with long, black hair. She was crying, apparently more distraught at the news than Harry. He decided to sit outside the door, out of Lupin's sight, so he could continue his private conversation._

_ "I'm so sorry Dawn," said Lupin. "I don't want to hurt anyone, physically or emotionally, with my actions. Let alone my goddaughter."_

_ Dawn? That sobbing mess in there was his sister? Harry sat there confused, especially by the second part. Goddaughter. Maybe Sirius was unable to take them in, what with his being a fugitive and all, but there was nothing stopping Lupin from doing so._

_ "I'm going to miss you," she choked out between sobs. There was a little silence before he heard the sound of Dawn blowing her nose and muttering a quick thank you. "You were one of the few people who cared about me. You even visited me when I was living at the Weasley's. You have to reconsider!"_

_ "Listen Dawn, I have to leave my post. Come tomorrow, owls will arrive with dozens of letters calling for my immediate dismal. They will not want a werewolf teaching their children."_

_ "But I could stay with you, right? You said that you would talk to Dumbledore and Mum and…" he voice trailed off into a sob for no apparent reason. Harry peaked his head around to look in the door, only to see Lupin sombrely shaking his head._

_ "I'm afraid I can't. Molly and Dumbledore agree that you can visit with me briefly, but you may not come to stay for the entire holiday. It is not safe."_

_ "But…"_

_ "But nothing Dawn._ _And after last night, I see why parents would be upset. I could have bitten anyone. Your brother, Ron, Hermione…even you if I found my way into the castle. That must never happen again."_

_ "I know," the young first-year said bitterly. "I had just hoped that, since Mum said I couldn't stay the entire summer, you would let me."_

_ "There is nothing I would love more, but we both know that it's just not in the cards right now. Harry, you can come in now."_

_ "What?" Harry was shocked out of his hiding spot by his sudden discovery. "How did you…?" He stood up and entered the office, only to see that Lupin was bending over something on his desk._

_ "I saw you coming," said Lupin, smiling. He pointed to the parchment he had been poring over. It was the Marauder's Map._

_ "Oh," was all Harry could say._

_ "Dawn, would you mind giving me a moment with your brother?" asked Lupin. The twelve year-old nodded and stood up. She ran over to the other side of the desk and hugged Lupin._

_ "Promise me you'll visit!" she said. Lupin nodded and Dawn hurried out the room after giving Harry the slightest look. She seemed a little upset that he was interrupting her long goodbye._

_ "So Harry, what brings you here?"_

_ "Same as Dawn, I suppose. We had very similar questions."_

_ "Yes. I noticed you were there for quite some time. I didn't want to interrupt your sister though. She's like a…"_

_ "Goddaughter?" Harry finished. Lupin nodded sheepishly._

_ "Yes. Your dad had insisted that I be her godfather because Sirius was your godfather. I had suggested Peter, but he shrugged it off. Now I know that he wanted me to be her godfather because Peter was their secretkeeper. He wanted us to know that, in his eyes, the three of us were equal."_

_ "Wow." Harry was stunned. He shuddered at the thought of Peter, who betrayed his entire family, being so closely tied to his younger sister._

_ "I didn't want to tell you earlier, so I asked Dawn to keep it a secret. If you would have known I was her godfather, you would have asked if I knew your godfather, and we both know that that news would not have been well received." He chuckled slightly. "She seemed to like the idea of keeping something from you."_

_ Harry nodded along absently. "But why can't we live with you or the Weasleys? You're both Dawn's godparents. There's really no excuse."_

_ "I'm afraid that there is. Dumbledore has said your home is with your family. But you'll probably move to the Burrow in a month's time. I wouldn't worry about where you're going to live. It's only ever a few months."_

_ Nodding again, Harry was slightly content with that answer. Although he would be unable to live with anyone who considered him anything more than blood, he would be spending most of his summer among friends. "Can I ask you one last question?"_

_ "Only if I can ask you one in return," replied Lupin with a grin._

_ "Do you think it's my fault that Dawn can't live with the Weasleys?"_

_ Clearly the newly-resigned professor was caught off-guard by that question. "Your fault? Why would you say that?"_

_ "The past two school years, she lived at the Burrow. But she spent the summers with me and the Dursleys."_

_ "I wouldn't think of it that way. Imagine if you had to spend the entire summer alone with just your aunt, uncle, and cousin."_

_ "I don't want to," Harry mumbled._

_ "Mrs. Weasley wanted to make sure that Dawn didn't ever have to know what it was like either. Dawn may have been living at the Burrow, but her home was always with you and your family. You get to spend the summers with the one girl who loves you most. You'd both be miserable if you were separated."_

_ "I suppose you could say that," said Harry with a smile. "What was your question?"_

_ "Tell me about your Patronus." The soon-to-be former professor smiled and sat down in his chair again so he could listen to Harry talk about his defence against the Dementors from the night before._

..::..

"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked as he walked down the stairs in the Burrow, careful to be quiet around Ginny's room.

"Oh no, did Fred and George leave their room booby-trapped?" Mrs. Weasley came out of the kitchen, readying her wand for any malady the twins' pranks may have caused. "Was it that bloody punching telescope again?"

"What?" Harry said with confusion before shaking it off. "No, the room's fine. It's just that Dawn's portkey arrived without her."

"I told Dumbledore to ignore Ministry policy and just leave a touch-triggered portkey, but he said it was important to ensure our safety." Harry expected her to walk out of the house, put instead she went back into the kitchen.

"Are you going to go get her?" Harry asked, though his tone made it clear that this wasn't a question.

"I can't," she said while reaching for Floo powder. "I have to ensure your safety. I can't very well leave you here without anyone competent of age."

"Er, isn't Fleur staying here?"

"Like I said, anyone competent of age." She then threw a pinch of powder into the fireplace and muttered something before sticking her head in.

"FRED! GEORGE!" she hollered into the flames. "Wake up, it's your mother!"

"Relax mother," Harry heard one twin say from a distance. "We know it's you…"

"Only you would start a conversation in the dead of night by screaming our names," the other twin finished.

"Right," she said agitatedly. "Anyway, I need you to run by Harry's house…"

"Can we take the car again?" the first twin asked.

"NO!" she screamed. "Just apparate there." She paused for them to groan, but continued. "Dumbledore already got Harry but Dawnie was left behind. Just knock on the door and get her quickly."

"Yes mum," two voices answered in harmony.

There was a pause. Then: "DON'T GET BACK INTO BED! GET GOING!"

Another pause. "Yes mum," the two voices said again.

"And don't forget your emergency kits. You never know when Death Eaters will attack."

"Yes mum." Satisfied, Molly pulled her head out of the fireplace. "All taken care of."

Hardly, Harry thought to himself. If she were all taken care of, Dawn wouldn't have to share his fate, living in that caustic environment every summer. Truly being taken care of would mean that Dawn could spend every holiday in the Burrow, where she was loved. Though Professor Dumbledore and Professor Lupin tried to get him to think otherwise, he knew for a fact that it was his fault Dawn couldn't be in the care of her godmother.

He had lied to Ron when he said that didn't want to tell her about the wards to protect her. In actuality, he didn't want her to hate him for ruining her childhood. He already felt guilty enough on his own.

..::..

Meanwhile, Dawn was lying on her bed and was extremely frustrated at the situation. It wasn't bad enough that they left her behind (she was actually starting to get used to that). But they took all of her possessions: her clothes, her money, her toothbrush, her hairbrush, and even her reading glasses. If she had even a single galleon, she could summon the Knight Bus, but without any form of payment there was no way they would pick her up. Sighing, she started groping around under Harry's bed for any loose coins. Maybe with a couple of sickles she could make it to the Leaky Cauldron. Surprisingly, she felt something wooden.

Reaching into the darkness, she pulled out Harry's Firebolt. "Well, at least they left me with some way to get to the Burrow, even if they didn't intend to."

She turned out the light of her room and left the house without looking back. Once she was outside and past the driveway, she frowned at her clothes. Her dress was cute, but not meant for flying. Setting the broom on the ground, she pulled out her wand and muttered a few words. Her dress slowly turned itself into a pair of trousers and a tank top, though she knew the spell wasn't strong enough to keep the garments transformed for longer than an hour or two. She secretly hoped that such a small spell wouldn't activate the Trace, and her hopes were renewed when owls didn't descend upon her.

"Up," she said to the broom confidently. Thankfully, it went into her hand right away, not sensing her fear. Truthfully, Dawn had only flown a handful of times before, as every fibre of her being was terrified of heights. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

She pushed up off the ground, not noticing the slight pops that came from behind her.

"Was that Dawn?" Fred asked his brother.

"Where?" George responded.

"On the broom."

"Dawn doesn't fly," he chuckled as he recalled Dawn's feeble attempts of flying with white knuckles.

"Oh, you're right."

They both began to walk up the driveway to retrieve Dawn, when they came to a startling revelation.

"If that wasn't Dawn flying over a muggle town…" George began.

"Then it must be a Death Eater." Fred finished.

Reaching into their pockets, they retrieved a small box. "Engorgio!" They said in unison, causing the box to enlarge. They reached in and grabbed their new broomsticks ("a business investment" they told the salesman). They pushed off and raced after the unknown flier on their new Cleansweep Twelves.

When they caught up to the figure, who didn't seem to be a very skilled flier, they flanked him on either side. "Stop right there," they said together.

Dawn freaked out at the sudden appearance of two other wizards and decided that this was the time to see how fast the Firebolt could go, zooming away from her assailants at top speed.

The twins took this as an act of defiance and pulled out their wands. Fortunately, because of their experience as Beaters, they were rather good at multitasking on a broom. "Impedimenta!" Fred called out to George's "Stupefy!"

Dawn tried her hardest to stabilize her broom as she reached for her wand. "Protego!" The two expertly aimed spells bounced off her shield. Bracing her broom with one hand again, she pulled up on it, causing it to fly straight up on a ninety-degree angle. Aiming down, she yelled, "Expelliarmus!" A burst of red escaped her wand, headed straight for her two assailants. However, they separated at the last second and went in separate directions.

She attempted to straighten herself back out to fly forward again, but found it difficult without having both of her hands to manoeuvre. Unfortunately, she heard twin cries of "Stupefy!"

Her heart raced as the stunners headed straight for her. Unable to do anything else, she jerked back on the broom's handle, causing her to go up again. However, the motion was too jerky for the Firebolt and it began stalling. Dawn found herself unable to maintain a tight grip with her one hand and she found herself falling. She made the mistake of looking down, causing all of her fears to come to the surface in the form of a blood-curdling scream.

Fred and George recognized the girl as soon as they saw her face and realised their mistake. "Wingardium Leviosa!" they both called out, stabilizing her and the broom so she could grab onto it again.

"Fred? George?" she asked them, finally getting a good look at their faces.

"Um, we can explain…" Fred initiated.

"You see, we didn't think that could possibly be you…" George continued.

"Seeing as you don't fly…"

"And we thought it must be a Death Eater trying to carry you off somewhere…"

"Seeing as you don't fly…"

"And it didn't help that you did so well defending yourself while flying one handed…"

"Seeing as you don't…"

"I get it!" Dawn screamed. They looked at her sheepishly. "Thanks for trying to save me."

"Our pleasure," they responded in unison.

The three pointed their brooms back in the direction of the Burrow and resumed their journey, seeing as they were nearly halfway there anyway and the twins really enjoyed their business investments.

"Dawn, you've got fantastic aim," George said suddenly.

"Uh, thanks," Dawn replied. "I wish I would've been better at flying the bloody thing with only one hand while I was defending myself, but I suppose I did alright."

"Alright?" Fred scoffed. "That was awesome. If it weren't for our new brooms, we would've lost our wands."

"I was nothing compared to you guys though," Dawn reluctantly admitted.

"We have years of experience on you," Fred said.

"Beaters and all. You get pretty good at controlling your broom with one hand when you carry around a giant bat for hours," George elaborated.

"Say…" they both said in unison.

"You should consider replacing one of us," Fred suggested.

"Huh?"

"On the Quidditch team," George explained.

"Seeing as we graduated…"

"You didn't graduate," Dawn interrupted.

"Flitwick would've given us whatever we wanted after we made that swamp," George defended. "Diploma, medals, galleons, you name it."

"Anyway," Fred said, attempting to get back to the point he was trying to make.

"You should try out for a beater spot," George finished.

"No, I can't" Dawn said, "I'm too afraid of heights." Well, she was, but that wasn't stopping her from flying; it was more looking down that was the problem. She just didn't want to play under Harry. Everyone knew that he would be named captain, and if she were to try out and make the team, there would be cries of favouritism. Besides, playing Quidditch would only encourage people to draw comparisons between her and Harry so…no.

"You seem to be doing fine now," they replied together.

"But…"

"Just think about it," George said.

"We'll be happy to give you pointers before you go back to school," Fred suggested.

"I really don't…"

"It's a lot of fun."

"Besides, you might be able to hit Harry with a couple of bludgers during practice," Fred added.

"I'll think about it!" Dawn exclaimed to end the conversation. The boys picked up on her exasperation and left her alone. "Sorry."

"It's okay," George said.

"Promise not to tell anyone about this? I don't want to get in trouble."

"Sure thing Dawnie," Fred said. They continued in silence for the remainder of the trip, though with their new brooms it was only about five minutes longer.

As soon as the Burrow and its unusual architecture came into view, the three teens descended. "Home sweet home," Dawn said with a twinge of longing in her voice that she hoped the twins wouldn't pick up on. Thankfully, they didn't say anything as they shrunk their brooms and returned them to their cases.

Fred and George approached walked up to the back door while Dawn put Harry's broom in the old outhouse that the Weasleys used as a broomshed. She was surprised to see that they were both still outside when she returned.

"Mum, you seriously won't let us in?" Fred asked.

"Your father insists that we follow Ministry guidelines and use passwords for entering the house. You could easily be Imperiused or imposters using Polyjuice Potion."

"She's got a point Fred," George admitted. "They would only need two of your hairs to impersonate you and a less-attractive me."

"Mum, it's clearly us," Fred again pointed out. "Who else would make fun of each other like us?"

"Fred, just answer the question," Molly pleaded. "In response to what incident did I punish you by sending you to live with your Aunt Muriel for a month?"

Dawn giggled as she saw the twins twitch at the mention of that punishment. She _had_ always wondered how wizards punished their children.

"That's a toughie, right Fred?" George asked.

"I agree brother. I believe it was the time I gave Ron the acid pop…"

"No, no, it was definitely the Dungbomb at Christmas dinner…"

"George, that wasn't nearly as bad as the Unbreakable Vow incident…"

"Fred, we were spanked for that because it wasn't nearly as bad as the time you turned Ron's teddy bear into a spider…"

"Are you daft? That was no where near as worse as the time we dropped Ginny…"

"From the second floor landing or the third floor landing?"

"Now that you mention it, that wasn't too bad compared to the time we tricked Percy into…"

"GET IN THE HOUSE!" Molly shouted, her blood boiling at the thought of the twin's poor excuse for humour.

"Thanks mother," George said amicably.

"Which was the answer you were looking for?" Fred asked innocently.

Molly groaned at the question, but allowed her sons into the house. As soon as they were through the door, she shut the door in Dawn's face to ask her entry question.

"Dawn, what's my favourite ice cream flavour?"

"Mother, that's dumb question…" Fred began through the door.

"Anyone in our family can tell you…" George interrupted.

"It's chocolate," they finished together.

Molly turned and faced her sons in disbelief. "It's pistachio," she said at the same time as Dawn. It took her a moment to register that Dawn, in remembering what her own flesh and blood could not, had correctly answered. She opened the door and hugged her goddaughter tight.

"We knew that," the boys said in harmony.

"Sure you did," Molly said with a laugh. "Thanks for the help! You can use the floo to get back to your flat."

They nodded and said their goodbyes before disappearing into the fireplace. "Now Dawnie," Molly said, turning to face her, "I know you've had a long night, but it's too late to wake Ginny, so I've prepared Fred and George's room for you."

Ordinarily, Dawn would have protested, but she was too tired from flying. "Is it safe?" was all she asked. Her godmother nodded, so Dawn was content to go up to her temporary bedroom.

However, she was not pleased to see Harry snoozing in Fred's bed. Of all the people in this crowded house, he was at the bottom of her list. Not wanting to wake him up to give him his punishment, she instead reached into a pile of the twin's discarded pranks and pulled out a punching telescope that she fondly remembered. Setting it firmly between Harry's arms, she decided that they were even and went to bed.

..::..

Harry did not receive a pleasant wake up call. He began to stir around ten-thirty in the morning, but as soon as his arms moved he was punched in the face by some telescope he must not have noticed under his pillow.

Clutching his throbbing forehead, he reached for his glasses and got out of his bed. He was relieved to see Dawn sleeping in the twin bed next to him and Hedwig perched on the windowsill, though the note Dawn had attached to Hedwig's leg which only read, "Next time I see you, you're so dead!" made him doubt that the telescope was under his pillow when he went to sleep.

"We didn't know you were here already!" exclaimed Ron as he entered the room. His lack of subtlety woke Dawn up and she seemed a little disoriented. "Blimey, what happened to your eye? It's disgusting."

"Ron, you can't just barge…" Hermione began as she entered the room, though she stopped talking as soon as she laid eyes upon Harry's face. "What happened to your eye?"

Hearing all the commotion about Harry's eye, Dawn burst out of bed laughing. "This is better than I imagined!"

"What did you do that for?" Harry demanded.

"Why did you leave me with the Dursleys?" Dawn responded.

"Dumbledore left you a portkey. Why did you miss it?"

"Why didn't you tell me that Dumbledore was coming to get us?" Dawn asked, unintentionally raising the volume of her voice loud enough that Dumbledore himself could probably hear her at Hogwarts.

"Enough you two!" Ginny yelled as she came in. "It's like Percy and the twins are back. Harry, what happened to your face?" Ginny walked over and gave Dawn a hug, struggling to contain her laughter.

"When did you get here?" Ron asked, seemingly numb to the argument that had broken out around him from being one of seven children. "Mum's only just told us!"

"Last night, about eleven o'clock at night."

"What about you Dawn?" Hermione asked encouragingly.

"I personally was escorted via broomstick and didn't arrive until one in the morning," Dawn sneered.

"You flew?" Ginny asked, genuinely surprised.

"I didn't think I had a choice!" Dawn exclaimed. "Until your brothers came to get me, I thought Harry's broom was my only way of getting here."

"Maybe now you'll try out for the Quidditch team with me!" Ginny said excitedly.

"Well, flying wasn't that bad, but I don't think I'm quite over my fear yet," Dawn admitted. She attempted to give a Ginny a look that said "drop it," but sometimes Ginny could be just as dense as her brother.

"But we could be chasers together!"

"Actually, your brothers think I should be a beater…"

"You took my broom?" Harry asked, interrupting their innocent conversation.

Dawn stared at him incredulously. "You should be thanking me for bringing it with me after you left it behind."

The five teenagers felt all of the air being sucked out of the room. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, as excited as they were about Harry and Dawn's arrival, wanted the two to resolve their differences quickly so the bickering would stop while the two siblings were more content to bicker than talk about the events of the night before, both clinging to their excuses of protection and ignorance respectively.

"So, what's been going on?" Ron asked awkwardly after a few moments of silence.

"Nothing much…" Harry began.

"We've just been stuck at our Aunt and Uncle's, haven't we?" Dawn sneered.

"Knock it off you two!" Mrs. Weasley yelled as she came in the room with a tray. "I have enough of a headache. I don't need you two adding to it with your argument." She set the tray down in front of Harry. "I'll fix your eye after you've eaten. Bloody telescope. Now, Dawn, I'd like you to eat your breakfast downstairs while Ginny and I prepare lunch."

"Why?" the two girls asked at once.

"It's not that big of a request!" she huffed as she exited the room.

"She only wants me there so she doesn't have to be alone with Phlegm!" said Ginny crossly. "And I'm guessing she wants you there so you and Harry shut up." Dawn shoved her best friend out the door.

"I'm glad she left," Harry muttered as he began cutting into his eggs. Ron silently swiped Harry's toast but Hermione seemed affronted by the comment.

"You're glad she left? Why, so you wouldn't have to defend your actions?"

"Not you too…" Harry mumbled quietly, though he intended Hermione to hear.

"Oh yes me too! You didn't even tell her Dumbledore was coming?"

"I _tried_ to tell her last night before she left but she didn't listen."

"You twied to tell huh lasht ite?" Ron asked.

"For god's sake Ron, swallow!" Hermione hollered.

"I said," Ron paused to gulp, "you tried to tell her last night?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"There weren't any opportunities to tell her before then?" Hermione smirked at Ron's surprisingly intelligent question.

"Well, I couldn't find the letter."

"Why didn't you tell her when the letter first came?" Hermione asked.

"She wasn't around when it came."

Hermione clearly wasn't pleased with his attitude. "And you just couldn't…"

"Quit it with the questions!"

"Well, then tell us why you really didn't tell her the truth?"

Harry paused and turned his gaze away from his two best friends. "I don't know, I guess I never found the right moment. It's dumb, but I didn't want her to think that I planned for Dumbledore to come that night so I could ruin her date with Colin because I don't like him."

"Why would she think that?" Hermione asked.

"Because I don't like him."

She sighed. "You could have told her and she would've understood. Just apologize and maybe she'll drop it. You've really got to be more honest with her."

Her words cut him deeply, especially since they echoed Dumbledore's sentiments from yesterday. "Speaking of honesty, I'm going to be taking private lessons with Dumbledore this semester."

"Blimey… private lessons with Dumbledore!" said Ron, dropping his toast. Hermione whipped around with a dropped jaw.

"Yeah, he told me last night. He didn't say anything about what we'd be learning after he asked me about my scar."

Hermione walked towards him and sat on the bed between the two boys. "He asked about your scar?"

Nodding, Harry continued, "He wanted to know if I felt Voldemort in my head."

"I thought you said Dumbledore didn't think he'd try that again."

"He did say that." Why would Dumbledore suddenly change his mind? It didn't make sense…unless something already happened that changed everything.

"Something weird is going on," Ron echoed Harry's unspoken sentiment. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Well, at least you know one lesson you'll be having this year," Hermione said, changing the subject slightly. "That's one more than Ron and me. I wonder when our O.W.L. results will come?"

"Can't be long now, we're back to school in less than a month," Ron suggested.

"Hang on," said Harry, as another part of last night's conversation came back to him. "I think Dumbledore said our OWL results would be arriving today!"

"Today?" Hermione shrieked. "Today? But why didn't you… oh my God… you should have said…" She leapt to her feet. "I'm going to see whether any owls have come."

She sprinted out the room and down the steps. "Mental," Ron whispered to Harry, who nodded and continued to eat his breakfast.

..::..

"So Dawn," Ginny began as the two sat down at the kitchen table, "other than flying, was your journey last night uneventful?"

"No!" Dawn blurted quickly, causing her best friend to cast her a raised eyebrow. "I mean, nothing really happened."

Actually, Dawn had nearly forgotten about the excitement of the night before. By her estimates, she had cast three spells, which of course is three too many thanks to the Ministry. Though she could likely defend the two duelling spells as being cast in a life-threatening situation, transfiguring her clothes would get her in trouble. She wanted to unburden her guilt on Ginny, but if the Trace didn't give her away, then confessing to the crime in the home of a Ministry official would.

She sighed, and Ginny again gave her a look. "Your brothers didn't arrive until I took off and they decided that they wanted to try out their new brooms. Really, nothing happened."

"I wasn't doubting you," Ginny admitted. "It's Harry, isn't it?"

"What? No, I'm used to it," Dawn said before she shoved a mouthful of eggs in her mouth. She didn't want to discuss her brother any more than she wanted to discuss her transgression.

"You seemed pretty upset for someone who's used to it," Ginny shrugged.

"Well, I'm a little pissed off that he didn't tell me Dumbledore was coming. I mean, he can't defend it by saying that he was protecting me like he usually does. What would he be protecting me from, having to pack?"

Ginny chuckled. "Ron always does the same thing to me. Protection, you know. At least Ron and Harry mean well, unlike Percy. He sends me letters every couple of months telling me to stop associating with you and your brother for my own good." It was Dawn's turn to chuckle.

"Ah Dawn," a throaty voice said from behind her. "'Ow are you?"

Dawn turned around to see a beautiful woman with long blonde hair. As much as Dawn hated to admit it, Fleur was breathtaking. "Hello Fleur," she said warmly, to Ginny's chagrin. They kissed each other on the cheeks. "I'm fine, I had a long flight to get in."

"You flew?" Fleur asked. "Zat must 'ave been _horrible_. I 'ate brooms."

"I'm not a big fan either."

"Why did you not come with 'Arry?" she asked.

"He didn't tell me that he was leaving."

"_Desole,_" she said, resting her hand on Dawn's. As much as Dawn wanted to hate her, she couldn't. She was too nice and trying so hard to make the Weasleys like her. "I'm sure 'e must 'ave a reason."

"I can't see one."

"I'm sure 'e 'as one. I would do anything for Gabrielle, even if eet meant lying to 'er." Dawn smiled at the mention of Gabrielle. Despite their age difference, they had become good friends during the Triwizard Tournament, especially after they were used for Champion-bait.

"I'm sorry Fleur, but you have no idea what you're talking about," Ginny interrupted, her disdain not very well hidden. "Harry does this to Dawn all the time."

"And I would do it too if I were 'Arry and 'alf ze zings zey say in ze paper about 'im were true."

"Who cares about whether he's the chosen one? It doesn't excuse him."

Fleur paused to consider this. "_Oui_, but 'e loves you Dawn, give 'im a chance to defend 'imself."

Dawn nodded slowly. "I always give him a chance. He just never says anything worthwhile."

There was a slight awkward pause, but it was mercifully interrupted by shrieking from upstairs.

"How is Gabrielle?" She asked, attempting to change the subject again.

"She iz good. You should send 'er a letter. She would be 'appy to 'ear from you. A bigger owl than your bruzer's could make ze trip."

Hermione practically sprinted into kitchen. "Oh, hello everyone. Have any owls arrived yet?"

Dawn involuntarily flinched. "Owls? What? No owls. Why would you be expecting owls?" Did the twins tell Hermione about their air-battle the night before?

Hermione and Ginny both cast her a sideways glance. "My O.W.L.s should be coming today."

"Oh," Dawn responded distantly. "School owls. Nope."

Hermione continued to look at Dawn suspiciously, but didn't say anything. "So how was your date last night?"

"You had a date last night?" Ginny asked excitedly.

"It wasn't a date," Dawn admitted. "Colin's parents wanted to meet me before we went back to school. Dennis and his younger sister Amanda even went along."

"But you did have a good time right?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, it was a lot of fun. I might have enjoyed saying goodbye," Dawn couldn't hide her smile at that statement.

"You didn't!" Ginny squealed. "In front of his parents? If that was mum she would've killed you!"

Dawn chuckled. "How did you know about my date Hermione?"

"Your brother mentioned it," Hermione had taken to standing next to the window, waiting for owls to appear in the horizon.

"He did? Did he say anything bad about Colin?"

"No," Hermione said, trying to choose her words carefully. "He said that he was sorry that he ruined your night."

"That's rich," Dawn snorted.

"It's true. He didn't want to ruin your date night."

"Sure Hermione."

"Just talk to your brother!" Ginny and Hermione yelled at the same time.

"I agree Dawn…" Fleur's words were drowned in a scream. Hermione was pointing through the kitchen window. Four black specks were clearly visible in the sky, growing larger with every second.

Dawn couldn't fight back her panic: three of the owls were delivering exam results. That left one to deliver a court summons for her legal violation.

Harry and Ron both ran down the stairs as fast as they could, wands at the ready. "Where are they?"

"No Death Eaters," Hermione said sheepishly. "Sorry, our results are seconds from arriving."

Ron deposited his wand into his pocket. "Blimey Hermione, I thought we were under attack or something."

"At least we didn't miss any excitement," Harry conceded.

"Oh god, I can't breathe," Hermione babbled. "I know I've failed everything! I totally messed up Ancient Runes and the Defence Against the Dark Arts practical was no good at all. Transfiguration…"

"Hermione, will you shut up, you're not the only one who's nervous!" Ron barked. "And when you've got your ten 'Outstanding' O.W.L.s…"

"Don't, don't, don't!" said Hermione, flapping her hands hysterically.

"You all need to calm down!" Dawn shouted, causing the three hysterical to stop and gape at her. Her tone made Hermione seem calm by comparison.

Molly took the opportunity of stunned silence to squeeze into the crowded kitchen and open the window. Three of the owls soared through it and landed on the table in a neat line. All three of them lifted their right legs.

Harry moved forward. The letter addressed to him was tied to the leg of the owl in the middle. He untied it with fumbling fingers. To his left, Ron was trying to detach his own results; to his right, Hermione's hands were shaking so much she was making her whole owl tremble.

The final owl flew through the window and swooped down towards Dawn, but flew right past her and dropped a letter on Ginny's lap. It then flew out the window with its three companions.

"Oh thank god that owl was for you!" Ginny cocked her eyebrow at her friend as she nervously opened the Hogwarts envelope.

Nobody showed any signs of reaction for some time, until Ron broke out in a stupid grin and did a little happy dance in the corner. "Only failed Divination and History of Magic, and who cares about them?" he said happily to no one in particular. Harry looked up at his best friend with his own expression of blissful stupidity. "Here… swap…" They exchanged results briefly, though Molly ripped Ron's out of Harry's hands.

"Well done!" Molly said proudly, ruffling Ron's hair. "Seven OWLs, that's more than Fred and George got together!"

"Knew you'd be top at Defence Against the Dark Arts," Ron said, punching Harry on the shoulder. "We've done all right, haven't we?"

Dawn snagged Harry's results from Ron. She took note of his five E's and one O and came to one conclusion: "Nerd!"

"Speaking of which," Ron nudged Hermione, who was still reading over her exam scores with an indecipherable look, "how'd you do?"

"I — not bad," Hermione said in a small voice.

"Oh, come off it," said Ron, striding over to her and whipping her results out of her hand. "Yep…nine 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations' at Defence Against the Dark Arts." He looked down at her, half-amused, half-exasperated. "You're actually disappointed, aren't you?"

Hermione shrugged. "Ginny, why did you get a letter?"

For the first time since the letters arrived, Dawn looked at her best friend. She was clearly stunned by whatever news she received. "Is everything okay?"

"I don't know…" Ginny mumbled. "Ron, I have to ask you something."

"What?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"Is it going to be embarrassing when I do a better job than you?" she asked with a grin.

"Huh?"

Ginny's grin grew as she threw her hands up and flashed a Prefect badge. "Is it going to be embarrassing when little sis is a better Prefect?"

Dawn jumped up and hugged her best friend tightly, though she was quickly knocked away by Molly. "Five prefects! Am I the luckiest mother in the world?"

After a few moments, Molly let Ginny breathe again. "Does the usual offer still apply?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Bill got an owl, Charlie got a broom, Percy got an owl, Ron got a broom."

Molly sighed. "I suppose it's still good. So, owl or broom?"

Turning toward her best friend, Ginny thoughtful echoed her mother's question. "Owl or broom?"

"Broom." Dawn said knowingly.

Ginny turned back to her mother. "Broom."

"Broom it is!" she exclaimed, hugging her daughter again.

"So, looks like we're N.E.W.T. students and Ginny's a prefect!" Harry exclaimed. He threw his arms around Ron and Ginny excitedly, causing the latter to run out of the room to hide a blush.

"Where are you going?" Ron hollered after her.

"To your room! I've got to tell Dean!"

Ron paused for a second and considered telling her not to, but instead came up with an alternative: "Fine, but I'm eating the rest of your sausage!"

..::..

That night found two guests in the Burrow in a familiar yet strange situation. Dawn and Harry were still sharing a room, with all of the other rooms in the house being occupied. Though Dawn and Harry had tried to move into Ginny and Ron's rooms respectively, everyone insisted that they should spend the night in the twins' room.

"So, this isn't awkward," Dawn said when they were both climbed into bed.

"Not at all," Harry agreed. "It's not like I left you behind or anything."

"No, or like you didn't even tell me we were leaving."

"Listen Dawn," Harry said in a serious tone, tired of the subdued bickering, "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to think that I planned it that way to ruin your date with Colin."

"Really? Then why didn't you even leave me a note or something?" Dawn asked, rolling to her side so her back was facing her brother.

Harry got up and lightly tossed something so it landed gently on the bed next to her. "I did."

Dawn picked up her hairbrush, which, according to the note, used to be a portkey. "You still didn't tell me that we were leaving."

"What did you want me to say? 'Hey Dawn, forget about your date with Colin tonight because we're leaving and you won't be allowed to see him for the rest of the summer.' What would you have done?"

Dawn rolled back over to face her brother. "I probably would have screamed at you for doing that to me."

"I had nothing to do with the date. Dumbledore picked it. I'm sorry."

They both laid there in silence for a few long, drawn-out seconds. "I forgive you, but there is a solution to this problem."

"What?"

"You just need to accept the fact that Colin and I are going out. Then I won't be mad at you in the future."

There was another long pause. "There are worse first boyfriends, I suppose."

"Very reassuring. 'I suppose there are worse first boyfriends,'" she said mockingly.

"I don't like that you're going out with Colin, but I won't stop you," Harry said as sincerely as he could.

"Will you be nice to Colin then?"

"I won't be mean to him."

"That's not what I asked."

"I accept that you are going out with Colin and I will attempt be kind to him."

"Thank you. Goodnight Harry."

"Wait, I'm not done."

Dawn sat up in bed so she could face her brother. "What now?"

Harry paused and bit his lip. He wanted to be honest with her, but that wasn't a conversation for now. "What you did last night was reckless and dangerous. You could've been ambushed."

"I know. I chose to do it. I'm not the same scared little girl that I used to be. I can't sit on the sidelines while you put your neck on the line. Not anymore. I'm prepared to fight, go into battle and break rules if I have to."

Harry sighed. "Good."

"I knew you were going to say…what?" Dawn stared at her brother, and even through his black eye that she caused, she could read the sincerity on his face.

"I said 'good'. I may not always be there to protect you, as hard as I try. This is war. There are no rules. You did the right thing."

"Thanks, I guess. You don't need to protect me though."

"Goodnight Dawn," he replied, seemingly ignoring the last remark.

"Goodnight Harry."

..::..

The next few weeks went by peacefully enough. While waiting for an opportunity to be escorted to Diagon Alley, Harry spent most of his days playing two-a-side Quidditch in the Weasleys' orchard. It was generally Harry and Hermione against Ron and Ginny, which was a fairly even matchup, though there were several times when Ginny had tried to work on Dawn's confidence in the air by playing "little sisters vs. big brothers." Everyone was surprised at Dawn's quick progress, including Dawn herself, though she freely admitted that looking down caused her heart to jump into her throat.

It might have been a peaceful holiday if not for the stones of disappearances, Dementor attacks, and deaths now appearing daily in the _Prophet_. Occasionally, Bill and Mr. Weasley brought home news before it even reached the paper, though that didn't lessen the impact of seeing the names in print.

Eventually, the Hogwarts letters and booklists arrived, along with a shiny new Quidditch Captain badge for Harry.

"This gives you equal status with prefects!" Hermione pointed out. "You can use our special bathroom now and everything."  
Ron however was more caught up with the badge. "Captain, it has been an honour practicing with you all summer," he said in an inflated accent that would make Fred and George proud. "I do hope you'll return the favour by allowing me to return to my post as Keeper."

"Jesus Ron, give it a rest!" Harry said with a laugh.

"Sorry, just had to uphold the Weasley tradition. You deserve exactly the same treatment as Oliver." Now both boys were laughing.

"Seriously Ron, shut it. You'll be trying out with me and Dawn and everyone else this autumn," Ginny said, taking the badge out of Ron's hand to inspect it herself.

"Who said anything about me trying out?" Dawn asked.

"Well, I just assumed you'd want to try out for the Beater spot, since we've been working on your flying and the twins claimed that you've got a wicked shot. And don't think I didn't notice you swinging a bat when they came for dinner a few nights ago," Ginny admitted.

"No. Playing with you three has been fun and all, but I'll stay on the ground, thank you very much."

Harry kept his mouth shut, knowing that anything he said would only incriminate him in the eyes of his sister. Ginny, however, didn't want to let the subject die. "Fine Dawn, but if you ever get the urge to pick up a bat, I'll bring my old broom to Hogwarts with me."

"Speaking of which," said Harry, desperately attempting to transition out of the current sticky subject, "do you have any idea of when we'll be going to Diagon Alley?"

Ron shrugged. "My dad said maybe Saturday. It all depends on how much work he has, since we need to be protected in the Wizarding World's most public destination." He said the last part in a mocking tone, not believing that it would be dangerous to be in public.

"He has a point Ron," Hermione pointed out. "Fortescue and Ollivander didn't exactly go on holiday."

Sure enough though, Ron was correct and that Saturday they did indeed go to Diagon Alley. It was an overcast, murky day. One of the special Ministry of Magic cars, in which they had all ridden once before, was awaiting them in the front yard when they emerged from the house.

"It's good Dad can get us these again," said Ron appreciatively, stretching luxuriously as the car moved smoothly away from the Burrow, Bill and Fleur waving from the kitchen window. The five teenagers were all sitting in roomy comfort in the wide backseat.

"Don't get used to it, it's only because of Harry," said Arthur over his shoulder. He and Molly were in front with the Ministry driver; the front passenger seat had obligingly stretched into what resembled a two-seater sofa. "He's been given top-grade security status. And we'll be joining up with additional security at the Leaky Cauldron too."

Arthur was true to his word, as Hagrid was there to greet them when they arrived. Perhaps he wasn't the most capable guard, but his size did encourage people to keep their distance. Their travelling party split in two so Ron, Hermione and Harry could get their robes from Madam Malkin's while Dawn and Ginny got their schoolbooks from Flourish and Blotts.

Dawn found most of her books fairly quickly, though she lingered in the Muggle Studies section. She had never had any interest in taking the class, seeing as her existence with her family would prove any pureblood bigot that the stereotypes are all true, though one volume grabbed her attention.

"What are you looking at?" Ginny asked as she approached the section.

"Oh, nothing," Dawn mumbled, pulling her hand off the shelf quickly.

"No, let me see!" Ginny said as wiggled her way past Dawn. "_Muggle Legends, Myths, and Nursery Rhymes_. Don't you know all these?" She pulled the book off the shelf and began to thumb through it.

"Well, some of them. I can't say I was regularly read to until Harry went to school."

"Then get it. See what you missed out on." Ginny stopped on a page. "What does this mean? 'Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey; along came a spider, who sat down beside her and frightened Miss Muffet away.'"

Dawn frowned. "I don't remember that one, but why does it sound so familiar?"

"Maybe you should ask Professor Burbage when you get back to Hogwarts. If it's in this book she probably teaches it in her class." Ginny then put the book on top of Dawn's pile. "We should go pay so we can get my new broom."

Even as Dawn paid of her and Harry's books, she couldn't quite figure out why that nursery rhyme was so familiar. But she pushed it to the back of her mind when their shopping party passed Eeylops Owl Emporium on their way to meet up with the others at Madam Malkin's. "Wait! I need to stop in here!"

"Do you need to get treats for Hedwig?" Molly asked.

"No, mum, Dawn wants to get her own owl," Ginny explained.

Arthur peaked in the window warily. "It's odd that there are no owls outside. Usually there's a few on display."

"Maybe he's running low," Dawn suggested, not wanting to leave the Alley without an owl. Sharing Hedwig with Harry was getting old, especially since the owl didn't like her and they sent letters to different people.

"Not likely."

"Oh relax Arthur," Molly said. "Would you keep your merchandise on the street where any Death Eater could take it or would you keep it inside?"

Arthur sighed in reluctant agreement. "Fine, you two can go in. We'll check in with Hagrid and make sure he doesn't need help." The two girls nodded as they walked off towards Madam Malkin's.

However, before they could enter the store, the owner of the shop hurried out with a caged owl under one arm and his wand cautiously raised in the other. "Mr. Eeylops?"

The frazzled shopkeeper clearly wasn't anticipating a conversation, as Dawn found his wand shoved into her neck before he realized his mistake and put it down. "I'm so sorry. I was worried that you might be one of them."

"Why would you think that Mr. Eeylops?" Dawn asked.

"I'm next," he stated simply.

"What do you mean 'I'm next?'" asked Ginny. "Have you received any threats?"

"No, nothing of the sort. I just know that they'll come after me next. First Ollivander, who gave wands to Muggle-borns and Purebloods alike. Then Flortesque, who married a Muggle-born himself. More than half of my customers are Muggle-borns who wish to keep in touch with their families who don't own owls. I'm next on their list."

"I can tell my dad. He works for the ministry, and he'll be able to keep you safe, Mr. Eeylops," Ginny reassured.

"My mind's made up; I'm moving to France. And it's Mr. Andrews. Eeylops was my uncle."

"Are you related to John Andrews, the fifth year Gryffindor?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, he's my son. Again, quite sorry about bumping into you but you see I'm in a hurry."

"Well, we're sorry to disrupt you," Dawn admitted. "I was just hoping to buy an owl."

Mr. Andrews took a quick glance down at the owl by his side, which was squawking as loudly as it could to no avail against the silenced cage. "This owl is yours then. She's a very loud Screech Owl, so I'd rather she find a good home than be caged in hiding." He thrust the cage into Dawn's hand. "Free of charge, I insist." Before Dawn could protest, he turned on the spot and apparated away.

..::..

"So, what are you going to name her?" Ginny asked when they were examining Dawn's new owl in the kitchen of the Burrow.

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same question," Dawn replied, pointing to the Cleansweep Ten that had not left Ginny's hands since it was purchased.

"Hilarious. So, what are you going to name her?" The owl squawked repeatedly from her new perch on Dawn's arm, flustering Errol and Hedwig. "She certainly is a loud thing."

"Big too. I just have no idea what to call her."

"I think I have some idea," Harry said as he entered the room with a large tome. "When I named Hedwig, I flipped through the pages of _A History of Magic_ randomly until I came across a name that fit." He opened to a certain page and pointed to a few lines that mentioned a witch named Hedwig. Dawn was surprised by his willingness to help, as he had initially been opposed her getting her own owl, but she guessed that he came around to the idea when he realized that this would mean less work for Hedwig, who clearly didn't trust her.

"Sounds dumb, but I guess I'll give it a try," Dawn sighed, flipping through the pages at random before stopping. "'The strongest magical wards in existence however surround Hogwarts itself, as no one can apparate or disapparte within the castle. It is also said that magical creatures and demons with malicious intent may not enter the castle, though this caveat does not always stop vengeance demons, who believe that they are helping people. The last known vengeance demon to enter the castle was Anyanka, who wrecked havoc in the 13th century by trapping men in paintings at the behest of women they had scorned. She was eventually banished from the castle after she was identified by her characteristic cackle.'"

"I guess you were right," Harry admitted. "It is dumb."

"I don't think so," Ginny said. "It kind of fits. 'Characteristic cackle' could describe the way your owl doesn't stop screeching."

"Yeah, and I like the idea of someone able to get through the 'strongest magical wards in existence.'"

"You can't be serious?" Harry asked.

"What do you think of Anyanka?" Dawn asked her new owl, who began to screech and flap her wings in agreement. "I guess that settles it."

..::..

The last weeks of summer quickly drew to an end rather quickly, leaving the five teenagers to await their trek back to Hogwarts. However, some were more prepared than others, as Ron and Harry were scrambling around the house the morning of September 1st in a feeble attempt to collect all of their belongings.

"Mum, have you seen my dress robes?" Ron yelled from his room.

Molly groaned and shouted back, "Ronald Bilius Weasley, you can't be telling me that you don't know where your robes are when you only have half an hour before we need to leave!"

"No," Ron yelled back hesitantly.

"Have you checked the attic?" Molly responded with a sigh.

"Yes!"

Molly turned to Dawn and Ginny. "Could you two check the attic? I somehow doubt that he looked everywhere."

The two girls nodded and climbed up all the steps to the attic. "I bet they're under his bed," Ginny said with a scoff as they began rummaging through the storage area above Ron's bedroom.

Dawn laughed, but the brief moment of glee was interrupted when the Weasley Family Ghoul let out a horrifying shriek. "No, no, no," he stammered. "Get away from here!"

"What?" Dawn asked in shock.

"Get out! Get far away from here. Too…green…and swirly…" he continued to back away, and tried to look away, as though he was avoiding a Basilisk.

"I don't know what you mean," Dawn responded, trying to approach the startled creature.

"NO!" He screamed, causing Dawn to retreat this time. "I will not have you in my home curd! Get out!" He began flailing his arms, trying any means necessary to get her out of his presence.

"What's wrong with him?" Dawn asked Ginny.

"I've never seen him like this," the older girl admitted.

"Found them!" Ron yelled from downstairs. "They were under my bed!"

"Good," Dawn mumbled. "Let's get out of here." She tried to leave without giving the ghoul another look, but when she peered over her shoulder, she saw the still frazzled ghoul cowering in fear.

* * *

Yes, I did post a chapter late after bragging about how well the schedule was working. At least you got an extra long chapter out of it! I had several excuses, mostly midterms, and I wanted to get everyone on the Hogwarts Express in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	5. Undo It

Hey everyone. Sorry for the lengthy hiatus; I had a lot going on in school in addition to a huge family crisis. But enough with the excuses, here's a nearly nine-thousand word chapter to make up for it.

Disclaimer: Portions of this chapter are directly derived from chapters two, three, four, and five of _Prisoner of Azkaban_ and chapter seven of _Half-Blood Prince_.

Chapter 5: Undo It

* * *

_ Harry had been looking forward to this night all week: the last night of Aunt Marge's visit. All week he had survived by reviewing the _Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare _Hermione had given him for his birthday to drown her out and keep his emotions—and magic—under control. He really didn't know how Dawn managed to keep her emotions in check, other than crying herself to sleep at night._

_ "Yes, I'll have a spot more brandy Vernon," Aunt Marge said to her brother. That night all the adults had been drinking rather heavily, though Harry noted that Marge, despite her best efforts, had yet to see the bottom of her glass. Aunt Marge must have noticed the slightest of smirks on his face and addressed him. "Don't you smirk at me! I might just have to get out my cane and end your holiday properly."_

_ He might have been afraid if he felt that she could stand up on her own volition, but that was clearly not the case tonight. "It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I'm not saying anything against your family, Petunia," she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovel-like one, "but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a good-for-nothing and here's the results right in front of us." _

_ Grasp your broom handle firmly by the tail. "Now this one," she began pointing at Harry like he was one of her pit bulls in a cage. "He's just not right in the head. You can't blame yourselves for that." Then you…Harry was at a loss for what the next step of the Charm to Cure Reluctant Reversers. "He's got that mean, runty look about him. You get that with dogs. I had Colonel Fubster drown one last year. Ratty little thing it was. Weak. Nasty. Underbred."_

_ Suddenly, everything he had learned about broomcare was out of his head. Grasping for something to drone out Aunt Marge, Harry looked to Dawn, who was seated next to him. She hid her face behind her long black hair, a feeble attempt to keep Aunt Marge out. "At least this one has some promise," she said, turning her full, undivided attention to Dawn. "She might not have a brain in her body, but she has such a pretty face." She then reached out and tugged on Dawn's chin, with all the subtlety of a dog breeder, to turn her head so their eyes met._

_ "Dearie, I'm going to give you some advice in life so you don't end up like your brother over there." Her faux-sweat tone made both children cringe. It seemed even Dudley was shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Keep your face clean, but don't worry about your breasts, you can always fix those." Dawn tried to shake her head out of Aunt Marge's grip but she was surprisingly strong. "And don't just throw yourself at every boy that comes calling. Find a rich one and do everything he tells you, but don't let him find out that you're a worthless mooch."_

_ Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Aunt Marge's advice was just complete lunacy. "My sister is not going to be a slag!" he hollered, surprised that he had said those words aloud. It was too late to stop her from hurting his sister, as the tears were already pouring down Dawn's face and she was doing everything in her power to keep from uncontrollably sobbing. He clenched his fists reflexively and considered pulling out his wand._

_ "MORE BRANDY!" yelled Uncle Vernon, who had gone white. Even he was a little shocked at the advice his sister had just doled out to an eleven year-old girl and emptied the bottle into Aunt Marge's glass to try and keep her quiet. "You two, go to bed!" he hissed to Dawn and Harry. _

_ Aunt Marge finally let go of Dawn's face to return her attention to Harry. "You are an insolent, ungrateful little twit. Your parents died in a car crash and left you both to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives. The least you could do is let me help your sister so she doesn't turn out like you." Harry's knuckles were whiter than Uncle Vernon's face and all he wanted to do was hurt this monster as much as she had just hurt his sister._

_ Aunt Marge opened her mouth again to continue her tirade. For a moment, it looked as though words had failed her. She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger; but the swelling didn't stop. Her great red face started to expand, her tiny eyes bulged and her mouth stretched too tightly for speech. Harry ducked as the buttons began bursting off her blouse and flew towards the wall behind him like a bullet. She continued inflating like a monstrous balloon, her stomach bursting free of its elastic waistband._

_ "MARGE!" yelled Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia together as Aunt Marge's whole body, now entirely round, began to rise off her chair toward the ceiling. Uncle Vernon attempted to pull her down by her feet, but he was almost lifted off the floor himself._

_ Harry took this opportunity to run. While everyone else, including his sister, was staring at the spectacle, he ran towards his former home in the cupboard under the stairs. He was slightly surprised when the door opened magically, but he heaved his trunk to the front door. He then sprinted up the steps to grab his pillowcase full of school supplies and books, along with Hedwig's empty cage, and dashed back downstairs to the trunk._

_ "COME BACK IN HERE," Uncle Vernon bellowed, though his voice was hard to hear over the popping noises coming from Aunt Marge and Dawn's rather large sobs. "COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!"_

_ Harry had enough though. He kicked open his trunk, pulled out his wand, and pointed it at Uncle Vernon._

_ "No. Now, you let Dawn come out of the kitchen, and we'll be on our way."_

_ "WHY YOU LITTLE BASTARD! SHE WAS RIGHT TO SAY THOSE THINGS!" Uncle Vernon began running as fast as his stubby legs would carry him, determined to force Harry to undo his accidental magic before beating him savagely._

_ Responding the only way he could think of, Harry grabbed his trunk and sprinted out the door, surprised by how quickly he was able to move while dragging all of his earthly belongings. When Uncle Vernon nearly caught him, Harry threw his wand in the air and said aloud the only spell he could think of._

_ "Lumos!" His wand tip began to glow and Uncle Vernon stopped in his tracks, terrified of what was going to happen next. Harry was scared out of his wits. Surely Uncle Vernon would realize that nothing was going to happen, not to mention that he was already in a real jam with the Ministry of Magic._

_ However, not even Harry expected a deafening BANG, and he threw up his hands to shield his eyes against a sudden blinding light. To his delight, there was a triple-decker, violently purple bus standing between himself and his uncle. The gold lettering identified this as The Knight Bus._

_ "Boy, what did you do?" Uncle Vernon yelled. "Remove this idiotic force field now!" The conductor then stepped out of the bus, and apparently his equally purple outfit was visible to Uncle Vernon, as he then began yelling for this new presence to, "LET US SORT OUT OUR FAMILY BUSINESS!" but the conductor either could not hear him or ignored him and began talking loudly into the night._

_ "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere…"_

_ "Diagon Alley! NOW!" Harry ran on board and the conductor shrugged as he levitated the trunk into the bus and it zoomed away from the horrible life he hoped to never return to._

_ "Ain choo a rude one," the conductor muttered. "Didn't even let me finish."_

_ "You caught me at a bad time," Harry admitted. "My uncle was trying to kill me. You can finish now."_

_ The conductor nodded. "Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this evening." He once again slipped into his ordinary tone of voice. "Choo say you 'anted to go to Diagon Alley?" Harry nodded. "Eleven Sickles, but for thirteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot-water bottle an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice."_

_ Harry nodded again and handed over thirteen sickles. Stan apparently wanted further small talk, but all Harry wanted to do was arrive at the Leaky Cauldron, contact Dumbledore, and get him to take Dawn away from the Dursleys so she wouldn't face his punishment alone. He shuddered at the thought. Stan decided to leave Harry alone after a few moments of silence. He knew that he would be expelled from Hogwarts for inflating Aunt Marge, but he figured that Dumbledore would be willing help a former pupil. _

_ Eventually, Ernie the conductor slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of a small and shabby-looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron, behind which lay the magical entrance to Diagon Alley. Harry was horrified to find Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic himself, on the other side of the doorway_

_ "Uh oh," Harry muttered to himself._

_ "There you are Harry. Care to have a little chat about tonight?" The portly little man in a long, pinstriped cloak looked cold and exhausted._

_ Fudge marched Harry along the narrow passage after Tom's lantern, and then into a small parlour. Tom clicked his fingers, a fire burst into life in the grate, and he bowed himself out of the room._

_ "Sit down, Harry," said Fudge, indicating a chair by the fire._

_ Harry sat down, feeling goose bumps rising up his arms despite the glow of the fire. Fudge took off his pinstriped cloak and tossed it aside, then hitched up the trousers of his bottle-green suit and sat down opposite Harry. "I am Cornelius Fudge, Harry. The Minister for Magic."_

_ Harry already knew this, of course; he had seen Fudge once before, but as he had been wearing his father's Invisibility Cloak at the time, Fudge wasn't to know that._

_ Tom the innkeeper reappeared, wearing an apron over his nightshirt and bearing a tray of tea and crumpets. He placed the tray on a table between Fudge and Harry and left the parlour, closing the door behind him._

_ "I'm sure you know why I'm here."_

_ "Look, I didn't mean to do it!" Harry exclaimed._

_ "You didn't mean to run away? You gave us a rightful scare. We thought that you…" his voice trailed off. "But you're safe, and that's all that matters."_

_ "No, I meant to run away," Harry reluctantly admitted. Fudge didn't chuckle. "I didn't mean…you know, the other stuff."_

_ "Eat Harry, you look dead on your feet. Now then…you will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Department were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that, and no harm done."_

_ "How's Dawn?" Harry asked._

_ "She's fine, considering the circumstances, although she was quite shaken up," admitted Fudge. "We made an arrangement with your relatives to temporarily place you into our custody as long as they took you back next summer."_

_ "Great," said Harry sarcastically. "So, where are you putting me? The Burrow?"_

_ "No, the Weasleys are away. I thought you should rent a room here at the Leaky Cauldron for the last two weeks of your holiday."_

_ "My holiday? As in I'm not expelled?"_

_ Fudge nodded hesitantly. "Why would you be expelled?"_

_ "The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"_

_ "Are you talking about flagging down the Knight Bus? Perhaps the use of the Lumos Charm was a bit much, but I still believe that it was perfectly within the limits of the Decree." His face somewhat contradicted the last sentiment, but Harry didn't care so long as he would be on the Hogwarts Express in two weeks._

_ "What about all the other stuff?"_

_ "What other stuff?"_

_ "The accidental magic? The 'unfortunate blowing-up?'"_

_ "That?" Fudge chuckled slightly. "We don't punish underage witches and wizards for accidental magic, especially before they enter Hogwarts."_

_ "I beg your pardon, but you do realize that I'm going into my third year at Hogwarts" He couldn't understand why Fudge was so intent on not punishing him?_

_ "Yes, you are," Fudge said warily, not sure of why Harry was pointing out the obvious._

_ "So, I should be punished for _my_ actions."_

_ "Your actions? You don't have to protect your sister. I just told you that we do not intend on punishing her."_

_ "Wait…my sister? You mean _she _was the one who inflated Aunt Marge like a balloon?" Suddenly, everything made sense to Harry. Dawn was sobbing because _she _was the one who couldn't control her magic, not because of what Aunt Marge said. When she was at her most vulnerable, he had abandoned her. "Where is she? I need to see her!"_

_ Fudge seemed surprised at his outburst. "She is safe with a friend of the Weasleys. You are to stay here and not go looking for her, am I clear?"_

_ "No! I need to see her!" Harry jerked up and reached for the door but it shut as soon as he was on his feet._

_ "Harry, she is safe. You'll see her in less than two weeks when the Weasleys return. If you stray away from Diagon Alley or venture into Muggle London, I may have to re-examine your use of magic this summer. Perhaps see if the International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy was violated."_

_ "You wouldn't," Harry said as he turned around to face Fudge again._

_ "I won't if you behave. Now, room eleven's free, Harry," said Fudge. "I think you'll be very comfortable. Tom will show you the way."_

_ Harry begrudgingly followed Tom up a handsome wooden staircase to a door with a brass number eleven on it, which Tom unlocked and opened for him._

_ Inside was a very comfortable-looking bed, some highly polished oak furniture, a cheerfully crackling fire and, perched on top of the wardrobe sat his snowy owl._

_ "Hedwig!" Harry gasped. He opened his trunk and pulled out some parchment and ink. He quickly wrote a note to Dawn._

_ "Dear Dawn, I'm sorry I had to run away like that. I didn't realize that the incident was your doing. If I had known, I would have stayed to comfort you. The Minister for Magic says that I'll be able to see you in less than two weeks, and I promise I'll make it up to you. Again, I'm really sorry. Love, your stupid brother Harry."_

_ He quickly attached the note to Hedwig's leg. "I don't know where she is, but find Dawn and give this to her." She hooted and flew off to attempt to fix his worst mistake yet._

_..::.._

_ Despite having the most freedom he had ever had in his life, Harry was decisively unhappy about his situation. He had received no response from Dawn, who had angrily sent Hedwig back empty-handed, nor had he seen any sign of her or the Weasleys in two weeks. He also felt like there were people trailing him around to prevent him from straying into Muggle London or trying to find his sister, though so far he had yet to see the same person following him twice._

_ With one day left before he had to return to school, Harry resigned himself to the fact that he would not see Hermione, Ron, or Dawn until the Hogwarts Express left. With this attitude, he sat at Fortescue's, graciously accepting ice cream every hour as his only way of marking the time._

_ About halfway through his third bowl of chocolate, Harry felt a tap on his shoulder. As talking to strangers about his celebrity had been a constant for the last two weeks, Harry turned around slowly, only to find himself face to face with Ron. "I thought that was you mate. How've you been?" _

_ "Great!" Harry said dumbstruck, hugging Ron. "I didn't think I'd see you until tomorrow."_

_ "Well, we just got back from Egypt yesterday," Ron admitted sheepishly. "I've actually been looking for you up and down the Alley all day."_

_ "Where's your family?"_

_ "Oh, they're off shopping for supplies. Books, robes, and the like…" his voice trailed off._

_ "What?"_

_ "What do you mean 'what?'"_

_ "You're keeping something from me. Out with it!"_

_ "Well, Dawn's with my mum and dad shopping for robes right now…"_

_ "Then let's go find your family!"_

_ Harry jumped to his feet and tried to walk away from the ice cream parlour, but found his arm firmly in someone's grasp. "She's still mad at you. I mean, is it true that you ran away when she blew up your aunt?" Harry turned to see that Hermione had not only joined their conversation but was currently the one restraining him._

_ "That foul woman is not my aunt. And I did run away, but I only did it because I thought I did it and I thought I would be expelled."_

_ "Seriously?" asked Hermione. "Why would you just run?"_

_ "I needed to get away from there. I tried to take Dawn with me."_

_ "She doesn't care about what you tried to do, she cares about what you did," Hermione admonished. "She's really upset that the big brother who's promised to be there for her every stop of the way at Hogwarts abandoned her when she needed him most."_

_ "I know that!" he shouted. "That's all I could think about for the past two weeks!"_

_ "That's all she could think about too!" Hermione responded._

_ "Stop it you two!" Ron yelled. "Listen, if you want to talk to your sister, go for it, but she's really pissed off."_

_ "Don't you think I know that!" Harry screamed as he ran towards Madam Malkin's. The normally curious crowd that assembled around Harry gaped in wonder at the screaming boy followed by his two friends._

_ Harry burst through the shop doors at top speed, not noticing whom he nearly knocked over. Just as Ron said, Dawn was standing on a platform while Madam Malkin's tape measures where flying around her body. Harry's caught a glimpse of Dawn's bright blue eyes in the mirror for a moment before they darted to the ground._

_ "Dawn! I'm so sorry for everything!" He expected some sort of response from his sister, however he was met with silence. "Don't you have anything to say?"_

_ "No."_

_..::.._

_ Although Harry had promised to be a good older brother and allow Dawn to sit in his compartment on the Hogwarts Express every time the subject had been breached for the past two years, when the big day finally came, Dawn had run off with Ginny the first chance she got. She was apparently still upset with him, given that any message she wished to communicate in his presence was filtered through Ginny, although he wasn't sure whether anger or sadness was to blame._

_ Other than that, the rest of the trip seemed relatively normal, until the train suddenly came to a stop, hours away from the castle. Without warning, the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness._

_ "What's going on?" said Ron's voice from behind Harry._

_ "Ouch," gasped Hermione. "Ron that was my foot."_

_ Harry felt his way back to his seat._

_ "D'you think we've broken down?"  
_

_"Dunno…"_

_ There was a squeaking sound, and Harry saw the dim outline of Ron, wiping a patch clean on the window and peering out._

_ "There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard."_

_ The compartment door suddenly opened and someone fell painfully over Harry's legs._

_ "Sorry! D'you know what's going on? Ouch! Sorry…"_

_ "Hello Neville," said Harry, feeling around in the dark and pulling Neville up by his cloak._

_ "I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," came Hermione's voice. Harry felt her pass him, heard the door slide open again, but then a thud and three loud squeals of pain._

_ "Who's that?" three female voices asked at once._

_ "Ginny? Dawn?"_

_ "Hermione?"_

_ "What are you doing?" Harry asked, groping around in the dark until he found his sister and pulled her into the seat next to him. Instinctively she grabbed onto her brother in fear, though she quickly remembered her anger and released him._

_ "Where's Professor…" Dawn began._

_ "What's going on here?" Ginny asked._

_ "We don't know! Just sit down."_

_ "Quiet!" yelled a hoarse voice suddenly._

_ Professor Lupin appeared to have woken up at last. Harry could hear movements in his corner. None of them spoke._

_ There was a soft crackling noise and a shivering light filled the compartment. Professor Lupin appeared to be holding a handful of flames. They illuminated his tired grey face, but his eyes looked alert and wary._

_ "Professor Lupin! Thank goodness I found…" Dawn began again, strangely recognizing their new Defence professor._

_ "Stay where you are," he interrupted, in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him. _

_ But the door slid slowly before Lupin could reach it._

_ Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Lupin's hand, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Harry's eyes darted downwards and what he saw made his stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, greyish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water…_

_ It turned its gaze around the room, though he seemed to linger on Harry. It took a step forward and the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it was trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings._

_ An intense cold swept over them all. Harry felt his own breath catch in his chest, and he felt Dawn clenching up beside him, once more grabbing onto him for dear life._

_ From far away, he heard screaming, terrible, terrified, pleading screams. He wanted to help whoever it was. He fought off a thick, pale green fog swirling around him for long enough to see the hand reach out towards Dawn. Professor Lupin was yelling at the creature, though he couldn't hear the words or see the spell that he cast. Suddenly, the glowing stopped, but Harry gave into the fog and collapsed._

..::..

"Hey Dawn, wait up!" Harry called down the corridor of the Hogwarts Express. Although he and Dawn were, surprisingly, currently on good terms, she had still rushed onto the train ahead of him. Since Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all had to begin the journey in the Prefect's Compartment, he hoped to sit in a compartment with her, although her eagerness to run ahead of him was forcing him to revaluate these plans.

After stumbling through the corridor, tripping over smaller children that seemed to magically lose their ability to walk, blink, or even move their head slightly in his presence, Harry found a compartment where two students were snogging. Normally, he wouldn't care, but scaring away two kissing teenagers would probably be the only way he could find an empty compartment.

"Hey you two!" Harry exclaimed as he burst through the door. The two figures quickly separated themselves, and Harry was horrified to find that the rouging faces belonged to none other than Dawn and Colin. "I've been looking for you everywhere," he added on desperately to salvage the moment.

"I'll bet," Dawn grumbled, repeatedly rubbing the creases out of her skirt.

"Uh, Colin, how was the rest of your summer?" he attempted to ask cordially.

"Great," he answered enthusiastically. "How was yours?"

"Good," Harry responded, sitting down across from the couple. What followed would have been an awkward silence, had Anyanka not decided to fill it by squawking. "Take any good pictures?" he tried to ask cordially.

"Of course!" he responded eagerly, reaching into his bag to pull out a stack of photos. "These were taken on my family's trip to…"

"Knock it off Harry," Dawn interrupted.

"Knock what off?" Harry asked, genuinely confused.

"Listen, we both know you're only in here to keep us from snogging."

"How have I been keeping you from snogging? Go ahead if you want to, I don't care," Harry retorted.

"Fine then," Dawn said as she put her hand on Colin's chin and forced him to kiss her. However, Colin's eyes never left Harry, carefully examining his demeanour, and though it did not change, he still hastily broke away.

"Stop intimidating him!" Dawn yelled.

"How am I intimidating him?" Harry snorted. "With kindness?"

"I hate you!" she screamed as she grabbed her trunk and stormed out of the compartment.

"Sorry," Colin muttered as he picked up his belongings.

"Happens more often than you think," Harry responded bleakly.

..::..

"I never thought we'd find an empty compartment again," Dawn said slyly as she sat down in blissful silence.

Colin put his trunk down beside hers and sat down next to her. "Me neither. I assumed your brother would kill me on sight. He seemed really cool with everything though."

Dawn smirked and leaned in to kiss him. Their lips were only locked for mere seconds, or at least what seemed like seconds, before Ginny burst into their compartment. "Oh, uh, um," she stammered while Dawn and Colin separated while red spread to their faces and ears. "Sorry to interrupt. But John Andrews isn't on the train."

"We knew that, didn't we?" Dawn asked. "His dad told us when we went to Diagon Alley?"

"Yeah, but we didn't know he was named prefect," Ginny admitted, holding up the badge.

"Oh, so does that mean the position is vacant?" Dawn asked hesitantly, realizing that Ginny must have come in their compartment to say…

"No, it's Colin. Congratulations!" Ginny exclaimed as she tossed the badge to him.

"Me? There must be some mistake," he questioned as he fumbled with the badge.

"No mistake. Professor McGonagall specifically said that you were to take the vacant post. Now get your trunk! We have to go to the prefect's carriage and sit through the most boring two hours of our lives."

Colin nodded and gave Dawn a quick peck. "Don't worry, they'll be plenty of time after the meetings over." Then he grabbed his trunk and the two newest prefects rushed out to run down to the prefect's carriage.

"So much for finding an empty compartment," Dawn mumbled. She picked up the _Daily Prophet_, which she found much less enjoyable now that they had stopped being critical of Harry, and read through it in boredom, the silence occasionally interrupted by Anyanka's light screeches. She didn't dare leave though out of fear that she might bump into Harry.

"Excuse me?" a quiet voice asked, interrupting her silence. Dawn peered over the newspaper to see a young first year girl opening the door to her compartment. "Can my friend and I sit in here with you?" she asked nervously.

"Only under one condition," Dawn responded with a reassuring smile.

"What?" the girl asked panicked.

"You have to tell me your name," she smirked, sliding over to give more room to the two girls, who both muttered a quick thank you.

"My name is Sally," the first girl said. She had short blond curls and wore pink jeans that Dawn would have killed to own at that age, when all she owned were Harry and Dudley's old trousers.

"And my name is Danielle," the other said. She had longer brunette hair and had already changed into her school robes.

"Well, I'm Dawn. Pleased to meet you," she offered cordially before returning to her paper. The two girls sat in silence for a few minutes, staring at her while she read. "Are you okay?"

"Can we ask you some questions?" Sally asked.

"Um, sure."

"What year are you?" Sally asked quickly.

"What house are you?" Danielle asked even faster, the words barely more than a jumble.

"Are your parents wizards?"

"Where's Harry Potter?" That one was met with an internal groan.

"What magic can you do?"

"What magic will we do?"

"Are the professors nice?"

"Do you know Harry Potter?" Dear god, was there no limit to his fan-club?

"Do we really have to use a quill?"

"Why are the people in that newspaper moving?"

"Do people…"

"Slow down!" Dawn said with a laugh. "Are you both muggle-born witches?" They nodded. "Well, I'll answer all of your questions if you don't ask them that fast again. I'm a fourth year Gryffindor, I can do a fair bit of magic, and I do use a quill for everything. It takes getting used to. Nearly all of the professors are nice, and I think you have nothing to worry about."

"Can you do a spell for us?" Sally asked.

Dawn nodded as she pulled out her wand. "Wingardium leviosa." On cue, one of the trunks began to hover slowly above the rack. The girls looked on in amazement.

"Woah!" both girls said in awe.

"You'll be able to do that too by the end of the year," she said as pocketed her wand.

"Do you know Harry Potter?" Danielle asked again, apparently unhappy with how Dawn purposely ignored that question.

"I do know him fairly well," Dawn admitted.

"What's he like?" she asked.

"He's a descent older brother."

"That's so cool!" Danielle exclaimed.

"Yeah, pretty cool," Dawn mumbled.

"So, your parents are wizards?" Sally asked disappointingly.

"Were. They're dead. I grew up with my muggle aunt and uncle," replied Dawn warily.

"Oh, so you're like us," Sally said with relief.

"Well, yes, I didn't grow up knowing I was a witch, but that doesn't make a difference."

"That's not what some boy said," Danielle revealed with a frown.

"What? Who…" Dawn began, but she was interrupted by gentle knocks on the door.

"Hey Dawn. I thought I'd find you here," Cassie said in her usual upbeat manner. The two girls hugged briefly before sitting down next to each other. "How was your summer?"

"Fine," Dawn said.

"How did Harry piss you off this time?"

Dawn couldn't stifle a chuckle. "How'd you know?"

"Don't change the subject," she lightly admonished.

"Nothing he hasn't done before, but I'm not exactly mad."

"Who are your new friends?" she asked.

"Oh, these are Sally and Danielle. They're first years."

"Hi, I'm Cassie. I'm also in Gryffindor. You'll love it!" The two girls nodded along. "And you'll be great witches."

"Thanks," they mumbled under their breath.

"It's true. Don't listen to what those older Slytherins say," she insisted.

The girls looked up quizzically. "How'd you know?" Danielle asked.

"I overheard them saying those things about Muggle-borns. Don't let it bother you. Blood is nothing. Dawn's boyfriend Colin is a Muggle-born and he's a Prefect this year. Hermione is another friend of Dawn and she's a sixth year prefect Muggle-born. My father's a Muggle-born and he's high up in the Ministry of Magic. Don't buy into the nonsense."

"Really?" Sally asked.

"Really. Hermione is the top of her class and she's probably going to be head girl too," Dawn said, looking over at Cassie for reassurance. She was nodding hesitantly, though her eyes darted to the floor.

"Just study hard. You'll need to learn a lot this year. So will you Dawn."

"Huh?"

"Well, we're going to have a tough time in Defence this year, since we have O.W.L.s at the end of next year and we're more than a term behind. Potions might be a little more challenging too this term."

Dawn nodded absentmindedly. The two girls had quickly zoned out and were having their own conversation about cute boys they saw on the train. "Did you want to go back to your compartment?"

"Oh, no. I'd rather protect these two from prejudices. We won't be able to for long."

"They haven't been in our world for an hour and they already feel like they're inferior."

"It's not going to get any better. Especially with You-Know-Who on the loose. People are already starting to run."

"So you heard about John Andrews already?" Dawn asked.

"Something like that. Better than ending up like Bones or Vance though. My dad's going to be leaving for America soon."

"Why?"

"If You-Know-Who wants to take over Wizarding Society, the first place he'll go is the Ministry. By that point, Muggle-borns won't be able to leave the country even if they wanted to."

"Is that what he did the last time?" Dawn asked. Cassie was better versed in History due to her upbringing and Dawn was never really awake during Professor Binns' lectures anyway.

"Something like that," she cryptically repeated. Dawn went back to the _Prophet_ for a few minutes, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Cassie was hiding something from her. She thought about probing for more answers, but the food trolley came by and Cassie insisted that they show the two girls Wizarding Candy.

..::..

A few hours later, the newest Gryffindor prefects returned from a presumably long and boring meeting. Ginny and Colin plopped down on either side of Dawn in exhaustion. "So how was it?"

"Long and boring," Ginny moaned.

"Followed by an agonizing patrol on the train," Colin continued, his usual excited demeanour diminished by his experiences. He pulled out a Fanged Frisbee from his pocket. "Got this for you though," he said as he handed the forbidden product to Dawn.

"What is that?" Sally asked.

"A Fanged Frisbee. Who are you?" Colin asked.

"Oh, sorry. Colin and Ginny, these are Sally and Danielle. They're Muggle-born first-years and they came in right after you left," Dawn explained.

"I thought those weren't allowed," Danielle wondered aloud.

"I won't tell if you won't," Colin shrugged.

"I'm so proud of my prefect," Dawn joked.

"So, what house do you want to be in?" Ginny asked the two girls.

"Gryffindor," they both answered at the same time.

"Why?" Dawn asked.

"You're all so nice," Sally said.

"Of course we are, but there's nice people in every house," Colin insisted.

"Yeah, but you're the prefects and all," Danielle explained.

"All the prefects are nice. Some are just less brave," Ginny said with a laugh.

"You'll love the tower," Cassie said from out of nowhere, looking up from the _Prophet_ for the first time since Ginny and Colin returned. Dawn raised an eyebrow at her friend's blind reassurance, but Cassie resumed her reading.

Before their conversation could continue, Zacharias Smith barged into their compartment with purpose. "Oh sorry Ginny, didn't think I'd find you in a compartment full of Mudbloods. I guess I should've expected it though."

"Watch your language Smith," Ginny chided, pointing herself toward him in a way that showed off the Prefect badge. Colin took notice of this and shifted himself similarly.

"What, can't a guy just point out the truth?" he asked, taking a seat between Cassie and Sally. "Looking for a boyfriend in this compartment then?" He awkwardly reached up and wrapped his arms around the two girls.

"Very funny," she said, sliding away from him. Sally attempted to do the same but was unable to push him away.

"What, I'm just saying that there's some cute boys in this compartment. At least there are now that I'm here," he chuckled to himself.

"Do you have a reason to be here?" Dawn asked him.

"As a matter of fact I do. I just wanted to hear about what happened at the end of last semester." He glared at Ginny, making her shift uncomfortably beneath his gaze.

"It was all in the _Prophet_," she said through gritted teeth.

"We all know there's more to the story than that."

"I don't think that part of the story is any of your business. Besides, we shouldn't be talking about such things in front of the first-years."

"They don't care. They don't know anything anyway seeing as they're just stupid Mudbloods."

"Get out!" Dawn screamed. The two young girls in their compartment hung their heads low, losing faith in everything they had just been told. "They're a smarter lot than you!"

He got up out of his seat and began to walk up to Dawn with his wand drawn. "I have every right to be here, you little bi…"

"Chiroptera!" Ginny yelled, hexing him with a bit of magic that Dawn recognized. Instantly, Zacharias buckled over and began vomiting bats, with others flying out of his nose. He ran out the door and tried to stumble towards the toilet, though he leaked bat bits over the floor.

Dawn began to laugh at the predicament, but the door to the compartment slid open as quickly as it had shut. "I'm sorry, but is one of you responsible for this?" asked an old, enormously fat wizard with a moustache that faintly reminded Dawn of a walrus. He was wiping bits of bat and vomit off his robes, though he didn't seem completely disgusted.

Ginny paled instantly, regretting her decision to hex him instead of following any of the protocol she had just been taught. "Professor Slughorn, I…"

"Sorry Professor, I got a little carried away," Dawn said, standing up to face her elder, apparently the new Defence professor. Ginny looked at Dawn questioningly, but let her continue. "He was saying nasty things and bothering Ginny, and I couldn't control my temper."

"That's really no excuse Miss…" he paused slightly

"Miss Potter, I agree Professor!" Ginny said, jumping to defend her friend. "Um, five points from Gryffindor." Dawn shot her friend a quick look, but bit her lip and returned her gaze to the Professor. "And detention." Dawn discretely stomped on Ginny's foot, attempting to tell her friend that enough was enough.

"Now, now, Miss Weasley, that's a little harsh. I daresay, she might have just set the record for fastest detention in school history."

"I can assure you, she didn't. My brothers once…"

"I'm sorry sir," Dawn said, cutting her off.

"Good. See to it that it won't happen again." His gaze shifted to Ginny, as though he knew the truth behind their story. "Now Miss Potter, I shall return your five points for one magnificent Bat-Bogey Hex, and I will allow you to serve your detention with me right now. Miss Weasley, you should join us in compartment C for lunch."

Dawn and Ginny exchanged a quick glance and shrugged their shoulders. "Yes Professor," they said in unison.

"Wonderful! Miss Potter, follow me into my compartment please." He began to walk away, though Dawn thought it more to resemble a waddle, but she nonetheless blew a quick kiss to Colin and waved goodbye to her compartment before running off to follow him.

Professor Slughorn led her all the way down to train to Compartment C, which she noted was a bit larger than most of the others, most likely the reason why he had picked it. "Now, I have a very important task for you. Can I trust you?"

"If it gets me out of a real detention you can," she said.

Unexpectedly, he let out a roaring laugh. "You are quite droll. What I would like you to do is deliver some invitations for me." He handed her a small stack of scrolls, each labelled and tied together by velvet ribbon. "There's one for Blaise Zabini, Cormac McLaggen, Marcus Belby, Neville Longbottom, and Harry Potter."

Dawn nodded along, but she couldn't resist rolling her eyes at the last name. Harry had warned her that this would happen, though the twinkle in Slughorn's eyes while saying the name was a little much to take. "Miss Potter, you are related to Harry I assume, yes? A cousin or the like?"

"He's my brother," she said with as little enthusiasm as possible, though the statement caused him to clap his hands in joy.

"Splendid! Then you shall return here after delivering the invitations for lunch. Now go on, you have precious cargo to deliver!" He practically shoved her out of the compartment and hastily shut the door behind her.

Looking over the list of names, Dawn decided to go from most annoying to least, then go back to find Harry and Neville to go to lunch with them. So, that meant that Zabini was first. She knocked on the door to a compartment with a large group of sixth-year Slytherins and was notably disappointed when Pansy Parkinson opened the door.

"Look, if it isn't the little Potty," she snickered. "What do you want?"

"I'm looking for Zabini. Is he in here?"

"Tired of necking the mudblood?" she asked with a chuckle.

The dark-skinned boy suddenly appeared behind Pansy. "I'm flattered, but I don't associate with filth."

Dawn groaned and handed him the invitation. "I'm sorry, but apparently Professor Slughorn does, seeing as he wants you at his little lunch party." She attempted to turn and walk away, but she suddenly found a hand on her shoulder.

"Thought you could sneak off without giving my Draco his invitation?" Pansy chided. "I have half a mind to give you a detention. Now be a good _little owl _and hand it over."

She turned to face Pansy with a grin. "I don't have an invitation for him. _Your_ Draco will have to take that up with the professor." Dawn had to suppress a laugh when Pansy flared her snout, though she managed to coolly walk away to deliver the next envelope.

Since she had never heard of Marcus Belby, she had to ask around for quite a bit until someone pointed her to a compartment full of Ravenclaw seventh years. "Excuse me, but is one of you Marcus Belby?"

A tall, thin looking boy stood up. "Yes, I am. Is something wrong?"

"No," Dawn replied, extending one of the scrolls to him. "I was told to give you this by Professor Slughorn."

"Who's he?"

"The new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor."

"How am I in trouble with a professor I don't even know yet?" Marcus asked, panic clear on his face.

"It's not about a punishment…" Dawn began, but she was interrupted by someone tapping on her shoulder and forcibly turning her around.

"Hello, Cormac McLaggen," a tall boy said, shoving his hand into Dawn's for an aggressive handshake. "Who might you be?" he asked, taking a minute to examine Dawn fully.

"I'm delivering invitations from Professor Slughorn…"

"Old Sluggy? Then surely you must have one for me. Big M-Little C-Big L-A…"

"McLaggen, yeah, here you go," she mumbled, shoving the invitation into his hands. She turned to leave, but once again she felt his arm on her shoulder.

"I'm afraid I didn't catch your name," he said smoothly.

"Didn't give it," Dawn replied, twisting her shoulder out of his grasp and walking out of the compartment.

"What can I call you?" he hollered after her.

"Try 'Taken!'" she yelled over her shoulder.

Thankfully, the last two invitations were for Harry and Neville, so she was able to quickly find them both in the same compartment with Luna, Ron, and Hermione.

"Dawn? What are you doing here?" Harry asked, admittedly surprised by to see her after what had happened earlier.

"I'm supposed to give you these," she said as she handed the invitations over to the last lunch invitees.

"What is it?" Ron demanded, as Harry unrolled his.

"An invitation," Harry said as they both read the parchment.

"But what does he want me for?" Neville asked nervously, as though he was expecting detention.

"No idea," said Harry, which Dawn knew was a lie, since he had been the one to tell her about Slughorn. "Listen, let's go under the Invisibility Cloak, then we might get a good look at Malfoy on the way, see what he's up to."

"Malfoy's not up to anything," Dawn scoffed.

"How do you know?" Harry demanded in a hostile tone.

"I had to give Blaise Zabini an invitation and Pansy was all upset that I wasn't giving Malfoy one. She thought I was hiding it from him."

"What was he doing?" Harry again demanded in the same tone.

"Talking. Unless you want to try and sneak in there, you're not going to see anything interesting."

"Listen to your sister and let it go," Hermione said in agreement.

Harry grumbled something in agreement and led the way to compartment C, though Dawn noticed that he hurriedly shoved the cloak in his bag.

..::..

A few agonizing hours of slow torture later, the train finally arrived at Hogwarts. Although Ginny claimed that Dawn didn't miss anything during the few brief episodes during lunch when she had nodded off, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had neglected to notice something.

Nonetheless, the carriage rides were largely uneventful, despite Ginny awkwardly gaping at the empty space in front of the carriage as though something were there, and they found themselves in the Great Hall waiting for the sorting to start. Ginny and Colin were required to sit at the end of the table next to the empty seats that the first years would soon fill, so Dawn and Cassie sat there as well, far away from most of the conversation.

After everyone settled into their tables, Professor McGonagall escorted in the first-years and placed the familiar sorting hat on its stool. Colin reacted in the usual manner, camera in hand of course, while Dawn waved at the two excited girls in line, who were noticeably taken aback when the hat began its song.

_Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Slytherin:  
__One of those I shall call when I look within.  
__For a thousand years ago this school became,  
__And evermore does it exude great fame._

_If Hufflepuff I call,  
__Then friendship you value above all.  
__Perhaps you shall be in Ravenclaw  
__And be among those whose intelligence is no flaw._

_Slytherin is what many wish to hear  
__Specifically those who hold cunning dear.  
__Last but not least is Gryffindor  
__Where the brave dwell and lions roar._

_Perhaps you've heard something terrible  
__That might make your assignment unbearable.  
__But Slytherin is not immoral  
__Nor is Gryffindor deplorable._

_In the coming dire times,  
__You will hear of many wrongdoings and crimes.  
__Those are wizards who haven't learned Hogwart's true lesson  
__So listen up and pay attention._

_Today might mark the beginning of your education  
__But you should learn this axiom now and its application:  
__Together we stand, divided we fall.  
__For are we not wizards all?_

"Pretty deep for an old rag," Ginny muttered as soon as the hat ceased its song. Similar comments were coming in full force from the Slytherin table at the other end of the hall, where everyone seemed to have ignored the hat's message and were up in arms about the comment that all wizards are equal.

After a menacing stare from Professor McGonagall, the hall quieted down and she began to call out names. Though there were a few familiar sounding last names that were sorted into Gryffindor, Dawn only celebrated half-heartedly, as she only really cared about the two girls she had met earlier.

"Sally Hannon," McGonagall called about halfway through the sorting. The blond eagerly walked up to the stool and the hat was put on her head. It shifted briefly but eventually announced "GRYFFINDOR!"

Dawn gave the loudest cheer from the table and the young girl excitedly sat next to her older friend, clearly relieved by the result. A little while later, "Danielle Mitchell" was called too and the brunette was also sorted into Gryffindor, much to Dawn and Sally's mutual delight. Danielle took a seat next to Cassie, who gave the young girl a knowing smile.

Several more students were called, and eventually the feast began, though it was quickly interrupted when the entire Hufflepuff table abruptly stood. "What's going on?" Ginny asked as she joined the majority of the hall. Dawn was quick to note that, in addition to her, the majority of the Slytherin table was also seated.

"Say Dawn, is that your brother?" Colin asked suddenly.

"Yep," Dawn responded without looking up from her pudding.

"How can you tell?"

"It's always him."

"What's that on his face?" a younger voice asked in disgust.

"Blood," she answered in the same tone. "It's always blood," she added on before the question was asked.

"There's a lot of it," Ginny noted as she sat. "Even for him."

Dawn took a glance to the other end of the table, where a gaggle of people, including Nearly-Headless Nick, was gathering around her brother. Someone must have quickly cleaned up his face, because it looked the same way it always did. "Nothing too serious if they didn't need Madam Pomfrey to fix it."

Colin looked like he was about to ask something, but Professor Dumbledore chose that moment to begin his usual speech, and when he finished, Colin and Ginny stood up to do their duties. While everyone else in the table cleared out, Dawn stayed behind to cheer on her closest friends.

"Hello everyone!" Colin exclaimed in his usual exuberant manner, which Dawn knew had to be a little forced at this point. "I'm Colin and this is Ginny. We're your fifth year Prefects!"

"Feel free to ask us any questions, but for right now we're going to show you up to the tower and give you the password to get in." They then turned to walk out of the Great Hall and expected everyone to follow. While Danielle went straight to the front of the line, Dawn decided to hang back and make sure none of the stragglers, including Sally, got lost.

"Why are you still here?" Sally asked her. "Is it really hard to find?"

Dawn laughed. "No, just here to cheer on my boyfriend. And maybe congratulate you on being sorted into the best house."

"Thanks. We couldn't have done it without you."

"It's no problem, but we had no influence over where you went. Only you did."

"I guess, but what your friend Cassie said really helped."

Dawn couldn't help but cock an eyebrow. "What exactly did she say?"

"She said that we were going to be in Gryffindor, that's all."

"Huh," Dawn mused. They continued to trudge along in silence, but as the group passed an empty lavatory, she heard some voices coming from it. "Listen, you follow the rest. I'm going to make sure no one in here is lost." Sally nodded and ran to catch up with the group as Dawn opened the door slowly.

"Do you have it?" a gruff, older male voice asked. Definitely not a lost first year, Dawn thought to herself. She kept the door open only a bit, just enough to hear the conversation discretely.

"Yeah, I have it," another male voice answered. It sounded familiar, but it was rather hoarse, so Dawn couldn't identify the speaker. "Do you have the gold?" Dawn could hear the jingle of coins. "You're not cheating me out of what you promised, are you?"

"Why would we cheat you Smith?" the first voice asked.

"No, I guess not. Such a silly trade to cheat me out of a few Galleons," Zacharias Smith responded. Dawn wanted to chuckle at his hoarseness, as it had to be a result of Ginny's hex, but she didn't want to divulge that she was eavesdropping. Besides, she was really curious as to what they were trading.

She heard the jingle of the coins again, presumably as the exchange was made, and the first voice told Zacharias, "The offer still stands, anytime. Now get to bed before we get caught."

Hearing that, Dawn ran away from the door and up the staircase before Smith or the mystery traders could catch her. She knew that whatever deal was going down in the lavatory, it was not something to take lightly.

..::..

Dawn quietly entered the dark dormitory room, careful to not wake her four other roommates. She really had no interest in talking to Romilda, Eloise, or Demelza, but she was curious to have a little conversation with Cassie, who slept in the bed next to hers.

Why had she practically promised the girls that they would get into Gryffindor repeatedly? Didn't she know how much of a letdown it would have been if they had been sorted into any other house? When everyone else in the compartment had tried to tell the girls that any of the houses is a good place to live (which wasn't technically lying, especially since they never brought up Slytherin), Cassie remained steadfast in reassuring the girls that they would be in Gryffindor.

Did she perhaps know that giving the girls confidence and reassurance would allow the hat to see their natural bravery?

Did she see the girls' bravery in standing up to those Slytherins that had picked on them?

Or did she truly know something they didn't?

* * *

So, lots of fun little tidbits in this chapter, along with what might be my favorite set of memories. I really wanted to get the characters to Hogwarts, and I promise that I have a very clear endgame, so nothing in this chapter is inconsequential.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback! I love hearing from you! Keep telling me what you like and don't like about this story.


	6. Lessons Learned

Thank you again to everyone who reviewed. I loved all of the feedback, especially the constructive criticism. Believe it or not, you really helped to change the next few chapters. I am, however, sorry that this chapter took so long to post; my summer job has been very time consuming.

On a side note, I'm sorry that so many of you find Colin annoying. He plays a big part in this story, but I'd like to think that he's not that same annoying character thanks to a little intervention from the monks. But more on that later.

**Chapter 6: Lessons Learned**

* * *

"Acid Pops" Snape said coldly to the gargoyle, who sprang to the side and revealed the moving spiral stone staircase up to Dumbledore's office. He rapped gently on the door using the brass knocker as a formality, but did not wait for the headmaster's invitation into the room.

"Severus, thank you for coming so quickly." The aged headmaster sat at his desk, painfully rubbing his blackened hand. Had he not been so stubborn and admitted to the potions master that he was in pain earlier, this foolishness could have been avoided.

Wordlessly, Snape pulled out a vial and handed it over to Dumbledore, who downed it in one gulp. "Next time, I would suggest you inform me of any discomfort sooner."

"We both know there will not be many more next times." The words circulated around the room carefully. "Now, what were the results of your meeting with Voldemort?"

"I wouldn't call it a meeting so much as a mind-numbing tour de force through my memories."

Dumbledore's eyebrows lifted slightly in interest. "Did he find anything interesting?"

Snape shook his head. "I was able to hide all of my altered memories."

"So you too found that your memories had been altered?"

"Just bits and pieces, certain details. I found one memory that was significantly damaged."

"And what about Voldemort?"

"He merely said that he was checking my memories because the damage to Wormtail's memories was extensive. He wanted to see if he could probe a Legilimans to pinpoint the damage."

Dumbledore began stroking his beard in contemplation. "The extent of the damage must have to do with the amount of time he spent with Harry in his animagus form."

"That is what I assumed as well," Snape said as he stood up. "Now, if you will excuse me I have my first Defence class in the morning."

With Snape's back to him, Dumbledore asked one last question. "Which memory did you find affected?"

"It has nothing to do with the boy."

..::..

_Because Professor McGonagall, acting as headmaster given this Heir of Slytherin mess, had just convened a meeting on the decision to close the school not but three hours ago, most of the staff did not expect that they would need to leave the safety of their offices to return to the staff room so soon. However, that was the situation that they now found themselves in._

_ "I'm sorry to call you back here, but Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley have gone missing. Lockhart went with them, leaving a note that he was returning them to the dormitories before going into the Chamber of Secrets. However, I believe it to be more likely that Potter and Weasley found the Chamber and decided to take Lockhart with them."_

_ "So, do we go and rescue the three of them before they die?" Snape asked grimly. Some staff members shot him looks, but he was used to it. Being the head of Slytherin house at times like this was not exactly the most rewarding job, and there was no point in beating around the bush about the stupidity of all three parties involved._

_ "No Severus, we can't," McGonagall replied disappointedly, pacing furiously around the room._

_ "Not unless you know how to get in the chamber yourself?" Flitwick asked in that conceited manner. No one in this room, save the bloody ghost, had been in this castle longer than Flitwick, and yet he had the nerve to intimate that somehow Snape knew where the chamber was and how to get inside._

_ "As I have said before, I don't know anything pertinent to this particular problem," Snape responded harshly. "But why are you calling this meeting if you have no solutions in mind?"_

_ "Percey Weasley informed me that he owled his parents and informed them of Ginny's disappearance. I have also taken some precautionary measures myself; Dumbledore will be here shortly." A happy gasp went through the room. "If anyone knows what to do, it's him."_

_ As though on cue, a burst of flames sprang forth from nowhere. Dumbledore himself stepped out of the flames, and though the situation was dire, he seemed steadfast and determined. Fawkes was gently hovering behind him, ready to carry out any command. "Good to see you all again, though I wish it was under better circumstances," he said with an inappropriate chuckle._

_ "I must ask that everyone expect for Severus and Minerva go to the dormitories. Please reassure the students that everything is safe."_

_ "Are they?" Sprout asked nervously._

_ "I trust that everything will be fine. Please go now." At his word, every member of staff, save the three, had gone. McGonagall seemed slightly displeased by Dumbledore's decision to allow Snape to stay, though she said nothing. Dumbledore then turned around to face his phoenix. "Fawkes, I am not allowed to return to my office. You know what to do my friend." The phoenix sang softly and disappeared in the same brilliant flames._

_ "Why did you request that we stay behind?" Snape asked, airing the question that McGonagall kept on the tip of her tongue. "Shouldn't we be with the students, as their heads of house?"_

_ Dumbledore nodded and walked out the door, motioning for his colleagues to follow. "I'm afraid that I have more difficult tasks for you to attend to. Minerva, am I correct in assuming that you have contacted the Weasleys?"_

_ "Of course I have headmaster."_

_ "Good. Then we shall use the fireplace in your office to bring them to the castle. Then they will assist us in defeating this heir of Slytherin."_

_ "How will we find him?" Snape asked._

_ "Fawkes is finding Harry now. If Harry is holding his own, then we have nothing to worry about. If Harry is failing to do so, then Fawkes will return to me and teleport all of us to the Chamber to assist him."_

_ Snape nodded gravely as they turned into McGonagall's office. Dumbledore swiftly picked up a pinch of floo powder and threw it into the fire, announcing, "The Burrow." He put his head into the emerald flames and asked, "Hello, is anyone there? Arthur? Molly?"_

_ "Yes Dumbledore, we're here. Do you have any news on Ginny?" Arthur asked frantically, in stark contrast to the calmness Dumbledore was exuding._

_ "I'm afraid not. In fact, what I have to say should be done in person." There was silence on the other end as Dumbledore withdrew his head from the fireplace. Shortly thereafter there was a flash of green in the fireplace, signalling the arrival of Arthur. Another flash preceded Molly's entrance. However, Snape was not expecting the third flash and the child that stepped out. She had very un-Weasley, long black hair and blue eyes. Her face and body shape reminded Snape of something distant, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it._

_ "Ah, good to finally meet you, Miss Potter," Dumbledore said as he shook the girl's hand. Snape looked at the child's face again and this time saw Lily's face, minus the eyes and hair of course. This girl looked nearly the same as one he had met all those years ago._

_ "Are we here to save Ginny?" she asked carefully. _

_ Dumbledore looked over her head to the Weasleys, whose expressions mirrored the child's question. "There is a rescue party already down there."_

_ "Who?" she asked; a fairly simple question begging a complex answer. Her blue eyes met Dumbledore's own, a never-ending competition of brightness. His expression, however, betrayed his inner thoughts. One didn't need to be a Legilimens to see that he wasn't sure whether to tell the girl the truth and risk her worrying about her brother, or lie and allow her to fret about her friend. "It's Harry, isn't it?" she asked somewhat knowingly._

_ Surprised by her intuition, he calmly said, "Your brother and her brother managed to find the Chamber and are down there right now with my phoenix. They should be back soon." The Weasleys tensed at this knowledge, but appeared comforted that someone was down there already._

_ The girl's face though broke into a panic. Tears welled up in front of the bright blues, and she asked, "Are Ron and Ginny and Harry going to be alright?"_

_ The elder wizard placed both of his hands on the girl's shoulders. "Dawn, I promise that they will all come back alive." She nodded and wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Now, why don't you go with Professor Snape down to the dungeon? I need to talk to the Weasleys about something private."_

_ "I beg your pardon," Snape began, affronted by his role of _babysitter_ in the day's events, "but shouldn't Professor McGonagall be the one to look after the child? She is better suited for the job, after all."_

_ "Severus, I'm afraid that Professor McGonagall is still acting headmistress and must remain here. You know what you need to do." He then nodded towards the door. _

_ Snape grabbed the girl by the hand and dragged her out the door with him. He did know what he needed to do: keep the girl occupied and safe. That didn't mean either of them had to enjoy it however. "Listen Potter, I need you to stay close to me and do exactly as I say. If I point somewhere and say run, you run. If I say hide, you hide. Are we clear?"_

_ "Yes sir," she replied. Thankfully, he was able to get her to the dungeon rather quickly. Once they were in safely, he barricaded the door using a few spells and contentedly sat at his desk. His gaze repeatedly bounced from the door to the girl, who was satisfied to just stare at him._

_ "What do you want?"_

_ "Nothing." Yet her stare still refused to leave him. Her eyes were not the same brilliant emerald green, but they shared Lily's distinct piercing quality._

_ "It's not nothing, is it?"_

_ "No. Can I ask you a question?"_

_ "You already have."_

_ "Er, right." She sheepishly flipped her hair with her left hand. "Can you tell me about the Dementors?"_

_ Had Snape been drinking any liquid, he easily would have spit it out in shock. Had she just asked that very question? "What do you want to know about them?" he calmly asked, exaggerating each syllable to hide his surprise._

_ "Well, would they give this Heir of Slytherin the Kiss?"_

_ "Yes they probably will if they catch him." Snape saw the girl writhing her hands around uncomfortably. "What else do you want to know about them?"_

_ "Um, what do they do to kids who accidently use magic outside of school?"_

_ "Are you asking what they do to eleven year old girls that accidently use magic without a wand?"_

_ Her expression quickly turned to worry. Her eyes widened, her jaw dropped slightly, and her bottom lip began to quiver. It was an uncanny resemblance. "What do they do?"_

_ "Nothing. They won't punish you unless you use a wand. Then they send you a letter and ask you not to ever do it again."_

_ She seemed relieved and began to wander around the room. She was amazed by the cauldrons at the desks. Just like Lily on their first day at Hogwarts. He could even hear the question that she asked that day, as though it were yesterday._

_ "Do you really put 'eye of newt and toe of frog' in these things?" Yes, just like it was yesterday. But, the child was laughing as though she just told a joke. Aloud._

_ "What did you just say?"_

_ "Oh, sorry, I just made a joke."_

_ "Potter, what's your name?"_

_ "Dawn."_

_ Snape got up from his desk, which apparently startled her. "You know, your mother made the same exact joke her first day in this dungeon."_

_ Her eyes widened again, mirroring the topic of conversation. "Really?"_

_ "Yes. She was also scared of Dementors coming to take her away for accidental magic."_

_ "Wow."_

_ "You look like her too," he said, pointing out her figure in a mirror on the wall._

_ "No, I don't. I've seen Harry's pictures. I don't have her hair or eyes or anything."_

_ "You have her face. And more importantly you have her mannerisms. It's uncanny."_

_ She turned away from the mirror. "Really? My Aunt Petunia never said that."_

_ "Your Aunt Petunia wouldn't know. She never watched your mother's face. She just watched the others, and their perceptions of her."_

_ Dawn giggled a little at his factual statement. "You're funnier than my brother said."_

_ "Oh really. What else did he say?"_

_ "He said that you were mean and didn't like him. But I don't always like him either, so I think I understand." _

_ "You also have your mother's ability to see the good in the people."_

_ "Thanks." She paused. "Is Harry going to be alright?"_

_ "I have faith that he will survive this ordeal," he replied dismissively, instead of reassuringly. He began to walk back towards his desk, but he was struck by an idea. "Do you want to see what your mother looked like at your age?"_

_ She nearly jumped out of the dungeon at that question. "You have a picture of her? Can I see it? Can I see it? Can I see it? Can I see it?" Her enthusiasm was…annoying._

_ "No, I don't have a picture. Just stare at the mirror." She did as she was told. Snape pulled out his wand and slowly changed the long black hair to Lily's more familiar wavy red hair. "Now for the eyes."_

_ "No!" she yelled, running her fingers through her hair. "I know what her eyes look like. I don't need to see."_

_ Snape nodded and put his wand away. He could see so clearly the girl that he went to Hogwarts with in miniature. Perhaps they didn't share her eyes, but everything else screamed Lily: her demeanour, her expression, her vocabulary, and now her appearance._

_ Absentmindedly, he walked over to his desk and unlocked a drawer he had never opened in the presence of a student. The only thing in it was Lily's wand, given to him by Dumbledore. He kept it as a reminder of his friend, and of his terrible mistake. Whenever his role as a double, or triple, agent became too difficult, he would look at the wand and think about its owner, the woman that might have lived another day had he made a better decision._

_ For the first time in years, he pulled out the willow wand and walked back to Lily's daughter. "This was your mothers wand. I was with her the day she picked it out, and I'm sure she'd want you to have it." She picked it up eagerly and flashed that same smile that he had seen nearly twenty years before. "Give it a wave." She flicked the wand eagerly and, surprisingly, nothing broke or exploded. "Do it again." She flicked the wand again, and again nothing happened. "What do you feel when you hold that wand?"_

_ "Warm, I think," she said hesitantly. "What does that mean?"_

_ "I think that means that this wand wants you to take it to Hogwarts."_

_ "Really? I have my own wand?"_

_ "Not just your own wand. Your mother's wand."_

_ "Oh thank you!" she squealed, reaching forward to hug him. Snape had never been hugged by a student before, but when he looked down, he could only see the deceased love of his life, giving him one last embrace from beyond the grave._

..::..

Although nothing could be considered as dank and depressing as the dungeon Snape used to teach in, he had certainly tried his best to recreate the effect in this new classroom. Black drapes hung over the window to prevent students from accessing the outside world, a large stone chest stood at the front of the room, and no chairs were to be found anywhere. Several Slytherins and Gryffindors huddled in small groups around tables in confusion.

"Think anyone's tried to summon a chair?" Dawn asked Cassie while raising her wand.

"It won't work. This is Snape we're talking about."

"Accio chair," Dawn muttered. About a minute passed before she admitted defeat and put her wand in her pocket. "Don't say it."

"I won't," Cassie said smugly while walking up to an empty table. "Looks like we're sitting in twos in here."

"If he gives us chairs." Dawn scoffed.

"I can assure you, there are chairs Ms. Potter," Snape announced as he walked in the room. Waving his wand casually, two chairs appeared at every table. Looking down at the chair in front of her, Dawn saw her name clearly printed on it. "In this class, we will have assigned seating. You have been paired with someone of equal duelling ability. Find your seats now."

While Dawn sat casually at the seat in front of her (which, she was embarrassed to say was right in the middle of the first row, the perfect place to receive the brunt of Snape's criticism), there was a mad dash for other students to find their seat. Cassie was next to find her seat, which was next to one of the Carrow twins, Flora maybe. A pattern began to emerge, with nearly every Gryffindor paired with a Slytherin, though she was sure it was not coincidental.

"Hullo Dawn," a faux sweet voice next to her said. Dawn smiled back at Astoria Greengrass in an equally fake manner, though she didn't think the blond witch was expecting anything less. "I suppose this is the one area in which we're equals. Don't get used to it."

"I hope you don't."

"Quiet everyone," Snape commanded in his usual subdued tone. "It is unfortunate that you have gotten this far into your studies at Hogwarts with such limited knowledge of the Dark Arts. You should by this point be ready to begin preparing for your O.W.L.s. Instead, you hardly have two years of practical experience under your belt.

"However, we do not learn defence for an exam. We learn defence because there is a war going on out there. Many of you will be drawn into this war, perhaps because of your birth." Snape's eyes darted to Cassie and Flora's table. "Perhaps because of your family." His eyes then settled on Dawn and Astoria. It seemed that Astoria was more uncomfortable at the suggestion than Dawn was though.

"When it comes to magic, it doesn't matter which side you fight for: you will need to defend yourself."

Snape flicked his wand at a pile of parchments on his desk. They began to fly towards their respective authors. "Now, during your third year you wrote many essays. But this is not adequate preparation for the real world."

Dawn snatched her essay out of the air and unrolled the parchment. It was one that she had written for Umbridge last year on Boggarts. Although there was a big red T in her handwriting, Snape apparently re-read the essay and gave it an A instead.

"In front of you are essays you wrote on Boggarts last year. Ordinarily, fighting an actual Boggart is a second year activity. Instead, you will be doing it today. You all assumed what form your Boggart will take and how you could defeat using the Riddikulus charm, and I graded your essays based on the strength of your assumption."

Glancing at the A in front of her, Dawn could only assume that Snape did not agree that a Boggart would take the form of Harry's dead body in front of her or that she could defeat it by imagining the body tap dancing against its will. She looked quickly around the room to see other's reactions to this comment. Some people gave knowing nods, others had questioning looks on their face. Cassie smirked while rerolling her parchment.

"Now, line up and you will face the Boggart one at a time. Should the person in front of you be unable to face their fear, I hope that you have the decency to step in front of them before they lose more than points or a grade."

Dawn purposely took a few moments to get in line so she could stand next to Cassie, though they found themselves towards the front. "What amused you so much during that speech?"

Cassie took out her essay and showed Dawn the T that Umbridge had written. It was then circled twice by Snape. "They didn't agree with my theory on Boggarts."

"Which is?"

"If you have no fear, than you will be able to defeat the Boggart faster than if you were just using the Riddikulus charm to induce laughter."

Dawn nodded slowly. "I can see how Snape would disagree with that."

Snape tapped the chest at the front of room. "We will begin now."

Astoria was the first in line. Hesitantly, she pulled out her wand as Snape opened up the chest. Although Dawn, and nearly everyone else, expected a creature to shoot out, a blond man calmly stepped out of the chest. He raised a wand at Astoria, revealing the Dark Mark on his wand arm.

"You're not my greatest fear!" Astoria screeched.

"I beg to differ," he said in a cold voice, inching his wand closer to Astoria's arm.

"Riddikulus!" she screamed, causing a loud crack to make the man stumble back onto his knees. When he rose to his feet again, his face was painted like a clown. This caused a surge in laughter from the class, which confused the Boggart.

"Five points to Slytherin. Next!"

Astoria walked back to her seat while Romilda took a step forward. Although they had lived in the same room for the past three years, she had no idea what Romilda's worst fear was. The clown stared at Romilda briefly, before changing into Harry with a large crack. Harry took a step forward to say something to her, but he was interrupted by a loud, "Riddikulus!" Dawn laughed the hardest when Harry's head popped like a zit.

"Ten points to Gryffindor," Snape said with a wry smile on his face. "Next!"

Flora swapped places with Romilda. Dawn had never taken the time to get to know the twins, though their continued association with Astoria made this prospect undesirable at best. However, her Boggart took an equally disturbing shape as Astoria's, as a figure was writhing in pain from a stout woman standing over her, firing curse after curse. Nearly hidden was another Dark Mark peaking out from her robes.

"Riddikulus!" Flora screeched, causing a loud crack to change the body into a Venus Fly Trap that swallowed the woman whole. An outburst of laughter stunned the Boggart briefly.

"Five points to Slytherin. Next!"

Dawn took a deep breath as she replaced Flora, who walked to the back of the line with tears in her eyes. She shut her eyes and anxiously opened them after hearing the loud crack. Fully expecting to see Harry in front of her, dying, she was taken aback when she saw herself standing in front of her, a mirror image.

The Boggart smiled at her before raising its arms, though no wand. Dawn was confused by this action, as she never saw herself particularly scary. But suddenly large gashes opened in her arms. Thick streams of blood ran down the Boggart's arms, with larger wounds opening up on its face and legs.

Feeling her knees go weak, Dawn collapsed to the ground, unable to even raise her wand. There were several whispers behind her, though they seemed further and further away with every passing second. The fake Dawn, whose arms were now drenched in blood, reached out to touch her.

When the Boggart was just close enough to touch her, Cassie pulled her friend back and stood in front of the figure. The Boggart paused for a second, but attempted to reach out to Cassie as well. Suddenly, there was a large crack and a pile of corpses appeared in front of Cassie, wearing robes from each of the four houses, their faces rotted away. Crack. The Boggart was Cassie herself, being hit by a killing curse and collapsing. Crack. The Boggart was a blond woman reaching forward with her finger. Crack. The Boggart was Lord Voldemort himself. Crack. Crack. Crack! A bright display of fireworks lit up the classroom, leaving everyone stunned.

Snape cleared his throat. "Five points from Gryffindor for failing to defeat the Boggart and ten points from Gryffindor for destroying the only Boggart I had procured for class. Class is dismissed, save Potter and Newton."

While the rest of class filed out quickly, throwing a few sympathetic glances to Dawn along the way, Cassie reached out and helped Dawn to her feet with a small smile. "Am I allowed to say it now?"

"Say what now?" Dawn asked while rubbing her head.

"I told you so."

Snape sat at his desk and wordlessly summoned their essays from out of their hands. "Miss Newton, you surprised me. I did not think you had enough courage to defeat a Boggart without the Riddikulus Charm. I shall change your grade to an E."

Cassie reached out to take her essay back, her hand shaking slightly. "So, you agreed with my theory?"

"You are not the only one that has accepted their greatest fear. Now please wait for Miss Potter outside." Cassie nodded, still somewhat shocked, and left the room.

"Now, Miss Potter, I had in fact assumed that your Boggart would not take the form of your dying brother. However, I did not think you would be this far off the mark."

"Neither did I," Dawn mumbled, staring at her hands instead of looking Snape in the eyes. Although she didn't care whether or not he read her mind at that exact moment, she didn't want him to see the residual tears.

"Did you even know that your greatest fear was bleeding out? Have you ever even been in danger of bleeding to death?"

"No, not that I remember. I don't know why it affected me that much."

"Very well. I will not change your grade, but I suggest that you allow Miss Newton to escort you to the hospital wing for a Pepper Up Potion. You are dismissed."

Dawn hurried out the room, dabbing her eyes with the corner of her sleeve. Outside the door, Cassie was waiting for her. "I suppose we have an hour before our next class thanks to you. Lots of time to talk."

Cassie nodded slightly and began to walk down the hallway. "You want to see if we can get an early lunch."

With a groan, Dawn took a few steps forward and stood in front of her friend. "I'd rather have that conversation now."

"Now's not a good time. Your brother's looking for you."

Groaning again, Dawn grabbed her friend by the arm and dragged her into the empty trophy room at the end of hallway. "Seriously, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Cassie sighed while wiping the dust off an old Quidditch trophy. "I really like that shirt."

"Snape just said that you accept your greatest fear, but it really looked like your greatest fear is yourself dying, among other nasty things. Last time I checked, that's not nothing."

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"The truth. Why do you have no fear? How did you know that those girls would get into Gryffindor?"

"Now's not the time," Cassie said as she walked towards the door. "Please trust me. You'll know everything soon."

"Then what am I supposed to know now?"

Abruptly, Cassie turned around and walked up towards Dawn. "You're supposed to know exactly what you know. Just like me. I don't know how we know. We just do." Though the words seemed harsh, her voice did not convey that. Her tone was just as soft and nonchalant as ever.

Dawn looked into her eyes and blinked slowly. "That makes no sense."

"Neither does life." Cassie turned around to walk away. "Happy belated birthday."

"My birthday's not for another seven weeks!" Dawn hollered after her, though this fell on deaf ears. "Wait for me!" But when she ran out of the hallway, Cassie was nowhere to be found. More confused than ever, Dawn had no better way to fill her time than to follow Snape's advice and go to the hospital wing.

..::..

Though the first day of classes ended without further incident, word of the fourth year's first Defence lesson still spread around the castle like wildfire. Although Dawn was quite sure that she was not the first person who failed to defeat her Boggart, several Slytherin boys still found it amusing to mime slitting their wrists in her presence to try getting a rise out of her. By the time Ancient Runes was over, Dawn just wanted to crawl into bed.

Unfortunately, things did not appear to be going according to plan when she entered the common room and saw Harry waving her over. "Dawn, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Oh yeah, Cassie told me. Sorry," Dawn replied as she took a seat on the sofa next to him. Surprisingly, Hermione and Ron were nowhere to be found, though the latter's absence could be explained by the snogging couple across the room that consisted of his sister and Dean Thomas.

"Cassie told you? I haven't seen her all day," Harry said confusedly.

"Oh. Never mind. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I heard about what happened today."

Nothing's wrong? That was a lie, and she knew it. She was the sister of the Harry Potter, who could conjure a corporeal Patronus during his third year, who taught the rest of the castle defence as a fifth year, whose only fear was fear itself, and yet she could not defeat her Boggart. Of course something was wrong. "It caught me off guard is all."

"Boggarts always do. I just wanted to know if you were okay."

Dawn smiled at him. "Thanks, but I'm fine. I just wasn't expecting my worst fear to be so…gruesome."

"Well, I'm here for you if you need anything, emotional or educational" he said reassuringly, throwing his arm around her shoulder. For a moment, it was as though they were back under the stairs on Privet Drive, doing their best to hold their heads above the water, two orphans against the world.

"Thanks Harry." They sat there together for a few moments in silence, though it was quickly interrupted by Ron and Hermione.

"You certainly got that Quidditch notice up fast," Ron mumbled.

"Well, I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that every position is up for grabs. I want the best people trying out for every position," Harry replied with a nudge to Dawn.

"But my position?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Well yes, Keeper would be one of the three positions with spots up for grabs."

"But my position?"

"When are tryouts?" Dawn asked.

"In two weeks," Harry replied. "I really think you should go, I truly believe your one of the best people for the position."

"Okay, put my name on the list," Dawn said as she stood up from the sofa.

"Dawn, I really think you should…" Harry began imploringly, before fully comprehending what she said. "You'll do it?"

"If you want me there, I'll be there," Dawn said with a smile as she walked up the stairs to the dormitory.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Harry admitted.

"Amazing where honesty will get you in life," Hermione angrily chided, storming up the stairs to her dormitory.

..::..

"Acid Pops," Snape growled to the gargoyle, which could not move to the side fast enough. Before the stairs had even stopped moving, Snape had opened the door and was staring Professor Dumbledore in the eyes.

"Severus, what brings you here so late at night?" the elder wizard asked, his tone indicating only a modicum of surprise.

"I have something to show you," Snape said as he calmly pressed his wand to his forehead and produced a memory. He dropped it into the Pensieve and watched Dumbledore dip his head into the stone basin.

Snape saw no reason to follow him in this recollection; the memory was hardly eight hours old. He had hundreds, if not thousands of memories of students failing in his class, but this one was just so peculiar. Never before had he seen someone so blindsided by their own worst fears. Perhaps alone, this would be unremarkable.

"I take it that this memory is from earlier today," Dumbledore stated as he pulled his head out of the Pensieve.

"Yes."

"Am I also to presume that the altered memory you found involves not Harry Potter, but Dawn instead?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm afraid this situation is more serious than I previously thought."

* * *

I'm sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than the rest, and that it took so long to produce. Really, I found myself struggling to both advance the plot and keep everything thematically consistent, so a lot of what I had planned just wasn't working. Overall, I'm fairly satisfied with the way this chapter turned out, but, as always, any and all feedback on this chapter is greatly appreciated.


	7. Twisted

Disclaimer: Parts of this chapter are derived from Chapters 7 and 11 of _Half __Blood __Prince _and Chapter 26 of _Goblet __of __Fire_.

**Chapter 7: Twisted**

* * *

_"I can't believe you let me oversleep!" Harry yelled to Ron as they ran through the castle to the lake for the second task._

_ "Let you? How is this my fault? Hermione was supposed to come back and help us!"_

_ Fair enough, and at this point there was no reason to argue. Truth be told, they should have figured out a way for Harry to complete the second task weeks ago, but they had not found a solution until it Apparated out of thin air to wake them up this morning. He was still clutching the Gillyweed Dobby had given him firmly in his left hand, wondering how he had never heard of this magical plant before, and whether he might have learned about it sooner if Dawn and Ron could tolerate being in the same castle._

_ Harry came to a sliding stop in front of the judge's table, getting mud on Fleur's robes by accident. Ron attempted to do the same, but wound up falling face first in the mud. Distantly, Harry heard Percy Weasley chastise both of them, but he refused to pay him any attention. Ron clearly didn't take him seriously either, as he attempted to say something else to Harry, but Percy shooed him away from the embankment and towards the grandstand. Harry wanted to hear what Ron had to say, but he instead bent over with his hands on his knees to gasp for air._

_ When he looked up, Harry saw Dumbledore smile at him, but Karkaroff and Madame Maxime didn't look at all pleased to see him… It was obvious from the looks on their faces that they had thought he wasn't going to turn up. Harry wanted to apologize for his lateness, but Ludo Bagman grabbed his shoulders and pushed him into place along the bank of the lake next to Krum._

_ Bagman began to explain the rules, but Harry wasn't paying any attention. He had known for weeks that the task was to retrieve something from the bottom of the lake, and thanks to Dobby he learned that it was his sister. Before he could get too caught up in his thoughts, everyone around him was in motion, jumping into the water while shouting various spells. Harry followed their lead and swallowed his Gillyweed, diving deep into the water before whatever effects it had could activate. Before long, he realized that he was breathing in the water like air, and pushed even harder to reach his sister._

_ After about twenty minutes and a handful of Grindylows of swimming, Harry began to hear a haunting mer-song. "An hour long you'll have to look and to recover what we took. Your time's half-gone, so tarry not lest what you seek stays here to rot." Pushing on fiercely in pursuit of the mer-song, Harry arrived in the merpeople's underwater village. In the middle of what he assumed was the town square was a gigantic statue, with four people bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson._

_ His heart lurched into his throat when he saw Dawn between Cho Chang and Hermione. There was also a girl who looked no older than eight, whose clouds of silvery hair made him feel sure that she was Fleur's sister. All four of them looked to be in a very deep sleep. Their heads were lolling onto their shoulders, and fine streams of bubbles kept issuing from their mouths._

_ Knowing from prior experience that his wand would not perform any spells while he was under the influence of the Gillyweed, Harry grabbed a spear from the nearest merperson, shocking them apparently with this tactic as they all lunged forward to take it back. But, in one swing he freed Dawn from the statue. He carefully held Dawn under his arm, preparing to ascend to the surface as quickly as possible for her safety, but he could not take his eyes off the small silver-haired girl, whose face was ghostly green and pale._

_ Looking at the little girl, Harry realized what a disadvantage he and Fleur had in this task: they both had a sibling taken away. If Fleur was anything like him, she would risk her life to get her sister back safely. Although Cedric and Krum felt the same pressures to complete the task, there was just no way their experience compared to the total pressures the two elder siblings felt. Clutching the spear tightly, Harry cut the rope securing Fleur's sister and tried to swim, only to have all of the merpeople grab his feet to hold him down._

_ "You take your own hostage," one of them said to him. "Leave the others"_

_ "No way!" Harry shouted back furiously, as the merpeople took Fleur's sister, not to mention the spear, and reattached her to the statue. He knew they couldn't understand the bubbles coming out of his mouth, but he hoped his wild gesturing was sufficient communication._

_ "Your task is to retrieve your sister. Leave the others…"_

_ "She's someone's sister too!" Harry yelled. "And I'm not going to let any of them die!"_

_ Unsure of what to do, Harry waited for the other champions to come, not willing to leave anyone behind, but at the same time constantly checking Dawn's pulse just in case he needed to get her to safety. Eventually, Cedric rescued Cho and Krum (somewhat clumsily) retrieved Hermione. As soon as he saw Krum reach the surface, he couldn't wait any longer and once again reached for Fleur's sister, only to have the merpeople block his way to her._

_ Frustrated, Harry pulled his wand on them, instantly causing them to back up. Apparently they didn't realize that his inability to speak impaired his magic, so he furthered the bluff by holding up one finger as he reached his hand out to the nearest merperson, who promptly gave Harry his spear. He held up a second finger as he cut the rope securing Fleur's sister. _

_ In one motion, Harry pulled the small girl under his arm and put his wand in his teeth and took off at a full sprint, knowing that the instant he pocketed his wand all of the merpeople would be chasing after him to return the additional hostage. Using the most powerful butterfly stroke kicks he could muster, Harry propelled himself towards the surface. Although he was managing to move quickly with his webbed feet, he could tell that the merpeople were on his tail, but he was unable to swim any faster with two dead weights under his arms._

_ After what seemed like an eternity of pushing forward, Harry reached the surface and instantly felt the effects of the Gillyweed wear off as oxygen filled his lungs. Instinctively, he checked on his sister, happy to see her finally stirring again. Fleur's sister was also moving, though her response was to grab onto his arm for dear life as he wadded to the shoreline._

_ "Did you win?" were the first words out of Dawn's mouth._

_ "Really?" Harry asked incredulously. "Not, 'thanks for saving my life' or anything?"_

_ "We were never in any really danger. Professor Dumbledore had enough protective spells on us to keep an elephant alive down there," Dawn replied while laughing. Noticing Harry's stunned silence, Dawn groaned and asked, "Don't tell me you took the merpeople seriously."_

_ "No, why would I?" Harry mock scoffed as they walked on dry land. As soon as Fleur's sister was able to stand, she ran towards her older sister and tightly embraced her._

_ Dawn noticed the emotional reunion and smiled. "Harry, you are such a prat," she said with a chuckle, giving him a kiss on the cheek as someone wrapped blankets around them. _

..::..

As Harry had put up the notice for Quidditch tryouts only a week ago, he was not expecting all of Gryffindor house to attend. However, the pitch was packed with students, ranging from first years who appeared to have never flown before to the seventh years that towered over them.

"Hello, and welcome to trials," Harry began in the loudest voice that he could. Most of the crowd ignored him, continuing to talk and point. "Ahem," he began again. "I'm the captain, Harry Potter, and we're going to get started with a simple test!" he shouted. Still, he was ignored by the crowd. Harry turned around to Hermione in the bleachers and shrugged in exasperation.

Instead of smiling at him encouragingly, or even acknowledging the futility of his attempts, she instead waved at him frantically with wide eyes. Harry was only momentarily confused though, as a Bludger screamed past his ear and crashed into the grandstand with a large bang.

When he turned around to face the crowd again, the entire group was silent, with Dawn happily holding a Beater's bat in the back of the group with Ron and Ginny. "As I was saying, we're going to begin trials with a simple test. In groups of ten, you'll fly around the pitch one time, just so I can get a sense of your flying ability."

Harry purposely went through the all the tryouts and divided them up so the first six groups consisted of people he could easily dismiss. Then, he was down to the real competition. There were about six people trying out for Chaser, five for Beater, and seven for Keeper.

"I think we'll begin with the Chasers and Beaters. We'll split you in half and play a game. I want the Chasers to concentrate on scoring, flying, and passing, while the Beaters should try to knock them off their brooms. We'll rotate Chasers every now and then to see your chemistry. Let's start with Dawn, Jimmy, and Ritchie as the Beaters with Dean, Demelza, and Seamus, and Andrew and Jack with Katie, Ginny and Dennis.

Harry knew that everyone in the game could easily interpret this decision. The one side was entirely returning players, save Dennis of course. Harry had made it clear that he wanted to replace Andrew and Jack as Beaters, so he combined the three new applicants for that position to see how well they aimed at the best flying Chasers, Ginny and Katie. In addition, any rotating of Chasers would be to see how well they flew with Ginny and Katie.

Harry blew his whistle and all eleven players took off. Harry was perched above everything, watching from the Seaker's standpoint and taking in everything below him. Ginny and Katie quickly grabbed the Quaffle and flew towards the goalposts, passing back and forth, and they appeared to be unopposed, until a Bludger knocked the Quaffle out of the air. Harry turned his gaze toward Dawn, who lobbed another one straight at Ginny, forcing her to dodge at the last second instead of regaining control of the Quaffle. In the meantime, Seamus and Dean had shown surprisingly good teamwork in grabbing the Quaffle and flying down to the other side to score.

Jack and Andrew had done nothing to prove that they had improved their flying or aiming since last year, as they feebly managed to fly around the pitch and only once in a while made enough contact with the Bludger to cause anyone else to move. Yet, when compared with Jimmy and Ritchie, Dawn was clearly lacking in her flying ability. However, to compensate for that, they had come up with a system where the two boys would fly towards the Bludger's path and lob it back to Dawn after she hit it, and she would then take aim at one of the opposing Chasers. After she knocked out two of Dennis' teeth by hitting him in the face, forcing him to withdraw, Harry had switched Demelza over to play with Ginny and Katie. Demelza had been the most successful at dodging Dawn's attacks thus far.

Harry blew his whistle "Ok, we're going to switch the Beaters around a little. Let's have Ritchie and Dawn play with Ginny, Katie, and Demelza." He blew his whistle again and instantly the pitch was in motion again.

Obviously, Seamus and Dean were outnumbered as Chasers, but it didn't seem as much of a disadvantage as having Jimmy, Andrew and Jack all scramble to block Dawn's ferociously aimed Bludgers. Of the five beaters on the field, it was clear that the combination of Dawn and Ritchie had not only the best aim and power, but also that Ritchie was the best flyer of all five.

Dawn had a wild smirk on her face as she launched another Bludger towards Seamus. Jack attempted to hit it away from his charges, but lost balance on his broom and nearly fell off instead of making contact. Seamus had no time to react as the iron ball crashed through the tail of his broom and snapped it in two. However, that did not change the trajectory of the Bludger, which hit Harry in the eye, forcing him to land.

Everyone else followed their captain's lead, with several additional students rushing over to check on Seamus and Harry. Harry brushed several of them off, including Romilda Vane, who was trying to force Harry to take some sort of potion for his head. "I think it's clear that our Chasers will be Katie Bell, Demelza Robins, and Ginny Weasley, while our Beaters will be Dawn Potter and Ritchie Coote. Thank you to everyone else who tried out."

The rejected players wandered off the pitch, while Ron and the other hopeful Keepers grabbed their brooms and began to walk onto it. Harry motioned for the five newly selected players to remount their brooms, and they took off.

"Now, we'll have Keeper trials. You will each have an opportunity to block five shots from Demelza, Ginny, and Katie, while at the same time avoiding Bludgers from Dawn and Ritchie." After Harry said the last part, three of the applicants walked back to the bleachers, joining a pretty sizeable audience for Quidditch tryouts. "Good luck! We'll start with Chris, then."

The third year nervously mounted his broom and ascended towards the goalposts. Harry was about to take off as well, but he felt a hand on his shoulder and whipped around to face Cormac McLaggen. "Listen, Harry, I know that Dawn and Ginny were clearly qualified to fill their respective posts, but don't you think that Ron has an unfair advantage if his sister takes shots at him and his best friend's sister is the one aiming Bludgers at him?"

Harry snorted, which took Cormac by surprise. "Listen, Ginny has been taking shots at Ron for years and knows exactly how to score against him. And there's nothing Dawn would love more than to knock Ron unconscious with a Bludger." Cormac nodded slowly, and appeared to have a rebuttal, but Harry kicked off and blew his whistle before he could complain more.

Fortunately for Ron, the first two applicants only managed to make two saves combined, mostly because they were more concerned with dodging Bludgers than actually making saves. Cormac ascended as the third candidate and dazzled the crowd by making the first three saves and, during the fourth save, using the caught Quaffle to deflect a Bludger.

During the fifth and final shot, Ginny wound up and threw to the left goal post. Though Cormac thought about going right for an instant, he went left but was unable to make the save when the Bludger hit the Quaffle, causing the ball to speed up midair. Cormac reached his hand out to catch the Quaffle, but the increased velocity forced him into the goal, along with the ball. He quickly landed, growling about how unfair the tactic was, although Harry was pleased that his newest teammates were gelling so quickly.

Meanwhile, Ron appeared to grow greener as he flew higher, but he blocked the first two shots from Katie and the next two from Demelza, and he even took one or two Bludgers in the process without flinching. To make things fair, Harry had purposely only allowed Ginny one shot on her brother, and even though she and Dawn had prepared the same tactic of hitting the Quaffle with the Bludger, Ron dove towards it with great intensity and managed to make the save by swatting the Quaffle out of the air with his left hand, just barely staying on his broom.

"Congratulations Ron, that'll end the trials now that we've found our Keeper!" Harry yelled, effectively dismissing everyone else from the pitch.

Cormac though did not appear to take the declaration the way it was intended. "I demand that I get another chance. Ron had a clear advantage after seeing me fail to make that very same shot."

"He may have seen you make the shot, but in the instant he had to respond, he was able to make the save and you weren't. Ron's Keeper, fair and square. Get out of my way." Harry ignored Cormac and walked past him to where his new team was now assembled. "Congratulations everybody! I expect to see you at practice Monday afternoon for our first…"

Harry paused out of distraction, as Dawn was frantically waving Colin over and, as soon as he reached her, embraced her tightly. "Do you think Dennis is mad that I knocked out a few of his teeth?"

"Nothing a quick trip to the hospital wing can't fix. Besides, I think he'll understand, since you may be the best Beater Hogwarts has ever seen."

"You don't really…"

Harry cleared his throat to get Dawn's attention again, and she blushed once she realized that the entire team had been listening to their conversation. "Anyway, I'll see you Monday. For now, why don't we go to the Common Room to celebrate?"

There was slight grumbling to this suggestion, as Colin and Dawn not so subtly walked in the opposite direction towards the Lake. Ginny also peeled away from the group, attempting to fight her way onto the bleachers to console Dean about the situation. Demelza and Ritchie also mumbled an excuse and excitedly ran over to their friends.

"Thanks for the invitation Harry, but I have an essay due for Defence Monday," Katie said to her long-time teammate. "Besides, it doesn't seem like there was much support for the idea anyway."

"Thanks, I understand," Harry mumbled in agreement.

"Don't worry mate, there'll be plenty of time for celebrating after we win the Cup!" Ron said cheerily, still euphoric from beating out Cormac.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right. You flew really well today."

"You did brilliantly, Ron!" Hermione yelled enthusiastically as she ran up to join them.

"Thanks Hermione!"

"I can't believe you didn't break anything in your hand during that last save."

"Me neither," Ron replied happily, holding up a rather swollen hand. "I could've sworn that my hand bent backwards, but I didn't feel a thing. Still don't, come to think of it."

"Do you think you might have gone into shock?" Harry asked, looking at Ron's hand a little more carefully.

"Dunno. Only one way to find out I suppose. Up!" Ron commanded his broom. It shot up into his left hand, causing Ron to instantly scream in agony. "Down! _Down!_ I think I broke every bone in my hand!"

"Ron, are you okay?" an exasperated girl yelled from behind them. At once, Lavender Brown was by his side, with his arm around her shoulder. "I'll take you to the hospital wing, don't worry!"

"I…" Ron stammered as he was forced away.

"Good thing that celebration fell through," Harry muttered. "Otherwise it would be pretty lonely."

"What's wrong Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing's wrong! I just assembled the greatest Gryffindor Quidditch team I've ever seen, and they're all so excited," the gusto in Harry's voice had all but disappeared, "that they want to talk about it with their friends."

"And clearly it's bothering you."

"Well, yeah. I thought Ron, Ginny, and Dawn at the very least would want to celebrate with me."

"Ron wanted to. So, you're upset that Ginny and Dawn didn't?"

"Well, when you say it like that, yeah."

"Listen Harry, they both have boyfriends and…"

"Harry?"

Harry and Hermione both turned around to see Cassie Newton standing behind them. "Hello Cassie."

"Professor Dumbledore wanted me to give you this. I hope this wasn't a bad time."

Harry smirked slightly as he accepted the parchment from Cassie. "Perfect timing."

"I sort of figured. See you later," she said with a smile as she walked past them towards the castle.

"What does Dumbledore want?" Hermione asked, reading over his shoulder.

"He scheduled our first lesson for tonight. I'll have to hurry and change if I'm going to make it on time!" Harry began to sprint towards the castle, leaving Hermione and the uncomfortable conversation behind.

"Don't think this conversation is over!" she screamed after him.

..::..

After a little, private celebration with Colin, Dawn decided to return to the Common Room to catch the end of Harry's, while Colin asked if he could borrow Anyanka to send a few letters. However, by the time she got there, the Common Room was quiet. With nothing better to do, Dawn decided to finish her homework, and sat in a corner of the room by herself. After what seemed like an eternity of writing an essay for Herbology, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, Dawn?" asked a small voice. Dawn whipped around to see Sally standing behind her, clutching _The __Standard __Book __of __Spells, __Grade __1_ against her chest. "Can you help me with an assignment?"

"Sure," Dawn said, tapping the chair next to her. "What do you need?"

"Well, Professor Flitwick asked us to write an essay on the steps you need to take to cast the Hover Spell, but all the book says is to say the spell and wave your wand. What else do you need to do?"

"Well, that is what you need to do, but there's a specific motion. Haven't you discussed the wrist flick?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know that was for this spell. So you say the words while you're swishing and flicking?"

"Yes, exactly," Dawn said proudly, though it was mostly in herself for quickly helping the younger girl.

"Thanks. I thought it had to be more complex than just the swish and flick. I suppose I over-thought it."

Dawn returned to her own essay briefly before she felt another tap on her shoulder. Expecting to see Sally again, Dawn nearly jumped out of her skin when it was instead Neville standing behind her.

"Sorry Dawn, didn't mean to startle you. I was just wondering if you had free time for a little bit of duelling practice? Like last year?"

"Sure Neville. Why do you need my help though?" Dawn asked as she got up from her chair.

"Well, it seemed like last year during the D.A. meetings I could do any spell, but it's been several weeks and I still haven't cast a single non-verbal spell. I was hoping that if we went to the Room of Requirement and practiced against each other, I would be able to do it. I can proofread your Herbology essay if…"

"Sure Neville, I'd be happy to help you." She quickly returned all of her supplies to the dormitory and ventured to the seventh floor of the castle with Neville.

"So, what kinds of wordless spells have you tried?" Dawn asked.

"I've tried everything from duelling spells, like stunners and shields, to really simple spells we learned first year. So far, I've gotten a piece of parchment to twitch on the table." He paused as Dawn giggled. "You don't have to laugh about it."

"I'm not laughing at you, I swear. It's just funny that I've been asked to help with the Hover Charm twice today."

Neville laughed too as they approached the familiar hallway where the door to the Room of Requirement would appear. "Would you do the honour, or should I?"

Chuckling slightly, Dawn began to pace in the hallway, thinking to herself, "I need a place to practice defence, I need a place to practice defence, I need a place to practice defence." When she stopped, she walked over to where the door was supposed to appear, but nothing happened.

"That's odd," she said. "I requested a place to practice defence three times."

"Maybe I should try?" Neville asked as he began the same process of pacing and telling the room what he needed. After some time, he stopped walking and approached the still-empty wall. "Well that's new."

"I wonder if someone's in there…" Dawn mused as she rapped lightly on the wall. Dawn was about to give up when a sudden crashing noise caused both of them to whip around with their wands drawn.

A familiar blond figure in oversized robes was staring at them from down the hall. Dawn took a small step forward and was able to identify the student. "Sally? What are you doing here? I thought you were in the common room?" Dawn took another step forward and saw a set of rather large metal scales sitting at her feet. "Sally?"

Before she could take another step, Sally took off running. Dawn and Neville wasted no time chasing after her, hoping to catch up quickly due to her small stature. But, they found that she was surprisingly good at manoeuvring around the castle, cutting down stairs, weaving through displays, and navigating through passages Dawn didn't know existed. After a minute or two of running, she lost the two older wizards.

"Never thought a first year could get away from me in this castle," Dawn muttered as they walked back towards the Room of Requirement.

"Why do you think she ran away? I thought you just helped her with her essay?" Neville wheezed, still slightly out of breath.

"Yeah, I did. She was in the common room when we left. I wonder how she got there so fast."

"Well, she probably used all of those shortcuts she used to get away from us."

"But where is she going? We kept running down the stairs, away from the Tower."

"I don't know. Seems to be a lot of weird things going on today," Neville stopped in front of where they both knew the Room of Requirement was. "Maybe we should try again?"

Dawn nodded and paced back and forth, again thinking about how she needed to practice defence. Though she wasn't expecting anything to happen this time, the door quickly appeared, revealing the D.A.'s practice facility from last year.

"Like I said," Neville reiterated, "really weird things."

..::..

"Acid Pops," said Harry, and the gargoyle leapt aside; the wall behind it slid apart, and a moving spiral stone staircase carried Harry in smooth circles up to the door with the brass knocker that led to Dumbledore's Office.

Harry knocked.

"Come in," said Dumbledore s voice.

"Good evening, sir," said Harry, walking into the headmaster's office.

"Ah, good evening, Harry. Sit down," said Dumbledore, smiling. "I hope you've had a fortuitous tryout?"

"Yes, thanks, sir," said Harry.

"Right," said Harry, who now looked around surreptitiously for some indication of what Dumbledore was planning to do with him this evening. The circular office looked just as it always did; the delicate silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tables, puffing smoke and whirring; portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses dozed in their frames, and Dumbledore's magnificent phoenix, Fawkes, stood on his perch behind the door, watching Harry with bright interest. It did not even look as though Dumbledore had cleared a space for duelling practice.

"So, Harry," said Dumbledore, in a businesslike voice. "You have been wondering, I am sure, what I have planned for you during these — for want of a better word — lessons?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I had planned for you to learn more about our enemy by gleaning information from past encounters." He paused.

"But?"

"There are more pressing matters at the moment, and I'm afraid that I must ask you to grant me access into your personal memories."

Harry stood and pulled out his wand, placing it next to his temple. "What memory do you need?"

"I'm afraid that I am not requesting to view your memory in that form. For you see, it has come to light that several of my own memories have been modified, as have Professor Snape's, and viewing memories in a Pensieve only allows us to see modifications that have been made after the memory has been removed from one's head."

"I'm afraid that I don't know what you're asking me to do, sir," Harry admitted as he sat down across from the elder wizard.

"Harry, I am asking your permission to probe your mind using Legilimency. I'm sorry to say that it is a most intrusive process, but it is the only way I can see the changes in your memories."

Harry sat in silence and stared at his lap for a few moments before asking, "Why do you need to see my memories, sir?"

Dumbledore returned the silence before carefully confessing, "All of the memories that we have found to be modified involve you and your sister, either directly or indirectly."

Sighing, Harry stood and walked towards the door, pivoting as he reached it to face the headmaster. "Well, then let's get started."

Dumbledore stood as well and carefully picked up his wand using his healthy hand. "I apologize in advance for any discomfort this may cause, though my style of Legilimency is less abrasive than Professor Snape's. Now, please think of a memory, preferably one that involves your sister. Legilimens!"

..::..

Harry was surprised to find himself swimming. He hadn't even felt Dumbledore enter his mind, unlike Snape's brutal tour-de-force through his memories during his Occlumency lessons last year. Yet, he was reliving a memory, unconsciously performing the same physical actions while consciously being unable to deviate from the way the events played out originally. Looking down at his hands, or fins as the case may be, he realized exactly what memory he was living: the second task in the Triwizard Tournament.

From behind him, he could hear Dumbledore's voice. "Siste!" As the spell took hold, Harry found himself unable to move a single muscle, which he found odd as this whole ordeal was theoretically taking place inside his head. "Sorry Harry," Dumbledore said as he floated into view in front of him. "I just need to cast a quick spell to see the influence of magic in your memory. Tirer la Couverture!"

As soon as he uttered those words, two things happened simultaneously: Harry began to move again, but the effects of the Gillyweed disappeared. Harry was reluctant to breathe in the water without the gills, but yet his lungs forced him to inhale…air. Although he could no longer see the gills and fins the plant game him, they were clearly still there: the spell Dumbledore had cast forced him to see how see the world without magic. No longer could he understand the Merpeople's song that was drawing him to Dawn either, though he was able to see them once he arrived in the village.

Following the familiar path into the middle of the town square, he was disturbed by what he saw in attached to the gigantic statue: the four people bound tightly to the tail of the stone merperson were not asleep and pale, but were instead healthy-looking, breathing, and, most disturbingly, blinking.

Guided by actions taken nearly two years ago, Harry approached the figure dangling between Cho Chang and Hermione, but was shocked to find himself grabbing a rock from the bottom of the lake to free…Ron? It was impossible for him to be a hostage at the bottom of the lake, since he had been with Harry researching the entire night before. Although he knew that his physical state could not betray his internal confusion, he could hear the headmaster distantly mumbling about the situation.

Harry's patterns resumed the actions he thought he had taken all along, as he stood by and watched Krum, who looked utterly bizarre trying to cut the rope securing Hermione with his human teeth, and Cedric, whose appearance in the memory caused Harry's heart to lurch, retrieve their hostages and begin swimming towards the surface with their eerily healthy hostages, before freeing Gabrielle Delacour and swimming to the surface.

As soon as he got his head above the water, the crowd in the stands began shouting and screaming. Harry looked to the shoreline as they began wading towards it, but was unable to locate Dawn anywhere. Gabrielle looked scared and confused, as he believed she had originally when he rescued both her and Dawn, but Ron merely expelled a great spout of water, blinked in the bright light, turned to Harry, and said, "Wet, this, isn't it?" Then he spotted Fleur's sister. "What did you bring her for?"

"Fleur didn't turn up; I couldn't leave her," Harry panted.

"Harry, you prat," said Ron, "you didn't take that song thing seriously, did you? Dumbledore wouldn't have let any of us drown!"

..::..

Harry felt a tug as he left the memory and found himself once again in the headmaster's office. They were both panting heavily to catch their breath, though the instruments on Dumbledore's desk indicated that only a few minutes had passed.

"Sir?" Harry asked after a few more moments of silence. "What was that?"

Dumbledore walked quietly to his desk, and motioned for Harry to do the same. "Honestly, I'm not sure."

"What do you mean you're not sure?" Harry asked as civilly as he possibly could, though he knew that it was more agitated than anything else. "Dawn wasn't in that memory. Did I forget that I rescued Dawn?"

"No, I actually would believe that you forgot rescuing Mr. Weasley instead."

"How is that possible, sir?"

"Again, I'm not sure. But, it does match what Professor Snape and I had found previously. It seems as though your sister was added to our memories."

"Is…"

"No, Voldemort is not behind this. He revealed to Professor Snape that none of his memories were modified; he instead noticed the changes in Wormtail's memory." Dumbledore either ignored or didn't notice Harry's physical reaction to the name. "No, this was the work of a global memory spell."

"How can you tell?"

"It would be impossible to modify the memories of every student and faculty member in the castle, not to mention everyone who has had contact with your sister in the past."

"We still can't rule out Voldemort. He might have just fed that information to Snape so we believe she isn't a mole he created."

"Yes, but would Voldemort have bothered to modify your muggle relatives' memory?"

"No, that doesn't sound like him. So I suppose we don't know anything about this, besides that it happened?"

Dumbledore chuckled slightly and looked up at Harry with a familiar twinkle. "I see you're catching on." He pulled out a bit of parchment and scribbled a quick note on it. "It is unfortunate that we know so little of this matter, but I have full confidence that you will be able to find some information on global memory altering spells in the library, and might even be able to discover who would be able to cast such a powerful spell." He handed the parchment over to Harry, who realized that it was a pass for unlimited access into the Restricted Section for himself, Ron, and Hermione.

"So, you want me to do research into the topic with Ron and Hermione?"

"Yes. Miss Granger has a remarkable ability to discover crucial information, and I would hope that you trust them enough to share this information with them."

Harry got up from the desk, looking no more reassured than he had after emerging from the memory. "I will sir."

He was about to leave the room, when suddenly the Headmaster spoke again. "One more thing Harry: do not treat your sister any differently. She still loves you and needs you, regardless of what your investigation reveals."

Harry nodded slightly without turning around. Both wizards seemed relieved that the other hadn't seen him shed a tear.

* * *

Thank you for reading this chapter. I'm sorry for the delay, but I didn't want to post this chapter until it was perfect.

Please review! I welcome all criticism, especially constructive, as it helps me improve my story.


	8. I Just Can't Live a Lie

I apologize for taking so long to write this chapter, but rather than waste time trying to explain, I'll let this chapter speak for itself.

**Chapter 8: I Just Can't Live a Lie**

* * *

_ "No! You can't be serious!" Mum yelled._

_ "I'm sorry Molly, but you knew this arrangement was not permanent," an older, unfamiliar voice replied._

_ The shouting—or rather discussion, as his mum would say—caused three-year old Ron to stir in the nursery of the Burrow. He had continually asked his mum for his own room ever since Bill left for Hogwarts and left a room vacant, but he hadn't expected her to move him to the attic. Every once in a while, when the darkness got too dark, the noises became too loud, or the twins told him something ridiculously scary right before bedtime (Ron planned on asking Mum in the morning whether spiders actually laid eggs in people's brains), he would secretly go downstairs and climb into the bed his sisters shared._

_ "That's not the point!" Mum shouted back._

_ "Of course we knew that," Dad interrupted, probably while putting an arm on her shoulder to comfort her. "It's just that we didn't think you'd want to take Dawn from us so soon."_

_ Ron rolled over to look at Dawn's sleeping form. Although she was just one of the family to everyone involved, you didn't have to look much further than her black hair to see that she was no Weasley. Absentmindedly, Ron reached over and pushed a lock of black hair out of her mouth._

_ "Yes, but Harry just turned three. He's starting to form memories, and he needs his sister to be with him," the unfamiliar voice said._

_ "Then bring Harry here! You know there's more than enough love in this house to go around!" Mum shouted._

_ Harry? Does Dawn have a real brother? Why does he need her more than we need her, Ron thought. Channelling his inner Fred and George, Ron silently crawled out of bed and opened the door a crack, just enough to peak his head out and see into the foyer._

_ "Molly, you know that just isn't possible," the stranger said. Ron had seen him before—Chocolate Frogs? No, why would someone famous be in his house? The old man had a long beard and wore strange purple robes. "Harry is the boy who lived. The world has changed forever. He can't go into the yard, let alone play on a broom or anything else normal children do without the constant threat of being kidnapped or killed by a former Death Eater. He isn't safe in the magical world."_

_ "He's not safe in the muggle world either!" Mum replied. Boy who lived? Muggle world? "Don't think I haven't been in correspondence with Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Figg. I know all about those people you want to raise my daughter."_

_ "I'm sorry that you feel that way, but you know that this is the safest situation for Harry."_

_ "There are plenty of spells that could protect Harry! Transfigure his hair red and his eyes brown…"_

_ "And explain to all of our neighbours that Ron had a twin we never took out in public?" Dad asked. Mum stared at him angrily, but sighed. "We can't raise Harry as our own without raising suspicion and compromising his safety."_

_ They stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity to the toddler, until Mum croaked out, "I don't want to sacrifice her happiness so he has someone to commiserate with." Ron was shocked to see tears rolling down her eyes. His entire life, he had never seen her cry, not even when she took Bill to the Hogwarts Express._

_ The other adults most have been surprised too, because it took the old man a moment to speak. "I have decided to tell her relatives that we believe her to be a Squib. They may not treat her as well as you would, but hopefully the belief that she has no magic will allow her to have a somewhat normal childhood."_

_ Squib? Ron turned around to stare at the bed. Ginny was snoring slightly, but her mouth was covered by Dawn's hand. Without waking, Ginny knocked Dawn's hand away. This caused Dawn to slightly stir and blink once or twice before drifting back into deep sleep. Sure, neither of them had yet to show any accidental magic, but he could practically see the magic behind Dawn's bright blue eyes._

_ "What about Harry? Is it too late to tell them that he's a Squib too?" Dad asked._

_ The old man shook his head. "I am afraid that I cannot tell them that both children are Squibs. As soon as one of them shows any sign of accidental magic, they will both be scrutinized."  
_

_The old man motioned towards the stairs, but Mum thrust her wand into his face. Ron nearly flew back into the room: Mum's wand meant someone was in trouble. Big trouble. The old man was smart, since he instantly backed up to allow her to speak. "I'll only let you take her if I'm allowed to see her."_

_ "I'm afraid that they won't like it if a witch such as yourself demands to see her, even if she is a Squib. They'd probably insist that you take both children and raise them with other magical children, far away from them. If I were to allow you to…"_

_ "I'll hide it. Arthur can get a ministry car, and I'll just go to take her out on her birthday with Ginny." The man was about to speak but Mum gave him a precautionary flick. "Before you speak, I'll remind you that I made a promise to Lily."_

_ "I think your continued involvement in Dawn's life could only be considered beneficial. I don't know if they would allow you to take Harry, but I would recommend that you offer to take him out every time while trying to maintain a distance. If you don't try to take him with you, he might feel resentment, but try too hard and his relatives might try to force you to take the children permanently."_

_ Mum muttered something about a dragety (what's a dragety?) and put her wand away. "I won't let anything bad happen to her." The old man sighed and nodded, motioning again to the stairs. This time, Mum led the way._

_ Ron's heart suddenly froze. With only moments to act, Ron climbed into bed quickly and wrapped his arms around Dawn in a tight hug. She didn't wake up, even when the door opened and let in the tiniest amount of light from the hallway. Not even when Mum's nearly silent sob's filled the room. Not even when they attempted to pull her out of his grasp. Not even when a wand was pointed at his face and his mum choked out "Dormis" before the world went black. _

..::..

Ron stumbled into the library about an hour after daily Quidditch practice ended. Harry claimed that the intense daily sessions were to improve the flying and strength of his two novice Beaters, but Ron knew that Harry was just hoping to exhaust Dawn so she would be too tired to spend time with him while they were researching…well, her. The downside was that Ron and Harry were often too tired to spend much time researching, and they had mostly left the work to Hermione.

He crossed into the Restricted Section with a slight nod to Madam Pince, who scowled back briefly. Hermione was, of course, already at their usual table, pouring over the numerous volumes sprawled everywhere, but she was joined Cassie Newton.

"Hey," Ron said as he plopped down on the nearest chair. If every muscle in his body wasn't on fire, he might have made some effort to keep his head up off the table.

"Difficult practice?" Hermione asked without looking up from her book. He groaned in response. "Well, if you want Harry to ease up, you know what we need to do." He groaned his head and picked up the book nearest him, a volume titled Forbidden Magicks of Memory.

"I think I should be going," Cassie announced. "Thanks again for all your help Hermione." She shuffled some books and parchment into her bag and walked out of the Restricted Section.

"Muffliato," Ron muttered while pointing his wand at the entrance. "What was that all about?"

"She needed help on a potions essay. She asked me because I actually know the theories and practices unlike others I know."

"You don't have to give me this lecture Hermione, I'm not the one with the book."

"Yes, but you're benefiting from it, so you ought to hear it anyway."

"Give it a rest Hermione," Harry said as he entered the Restricted Section. "I'm not giving up the book so long as we're spending every free moment here trying to figure out exactly what's going on. Discover anything new?"

Hermione sighed as she closed her current volume. "No, nothing."

"We're bound to find something soon," he repeated.

Hermione nodded and continued leafing through her book, Secrets Societies of the Darkest Art, which Ron had read yesterday. Between the three of them, they'd probably read every book with either "Dark" or "Memory" in the title at least twice. Sighing, Ron put the book down and returned to the shelves to find a new book.

Memory Magic. All three of them had read it. Not particularly helpful.

Mind Altering: A History Most Dark. It had been promising but full of dead ends.

"I just feel like we must be going about this all wrong." Hermione said to no one in particular.

Ron inwardly laughed. He'd felt the same way for a while now, but didn't feel like arguing with his two friends (more than usual anyway, at least in the case of Hermione). It was just impossible to think that his memories of Dawn were somehow falsified when they were his earliest, clearest memories. But somehow, that made the scenario more likely; their clarity was almost suspicious.

"Why would you think that?" Harry replied.

Ron was about to voice his opinion when a book on the highest shelf caught his attention. A History of Secret Magical Societies. At least if he was going to research, it might as well be something mildly interesting. He pulled the book down and turned to a page that someone else had earmarked.

_The Order of Dagon and The Knights of Byzantium_

_ Shortly after the founding of Hogwarts, Salazar Slytherin came across a powerful source of pure Magic. Working closely with Rowena Ravenclaw, they discovered that this Magic could be used to alter reality._

"Well, so far we've been focusing on the Dark Arts as a likely cause, but after giving it some thought, I feel like there must be a more logical solution," Hermione explained, but Ron was too engrossed in the book to really participate.

_The founders were unsure of what to do with it. Ravenclaw was of the opinion that the Magic should be used to improve the school, and she used the Magic to create the ceiling of the Great Hall, which allowed students to see any sky in the world. Her journals also suggest that she attempted to use the Magic to create a room in the castle that could change its form to whatever was needed most at the time, though this could never be confirmed as more than rumours._

"Why are the Dark Arts illogical?" Harry asked.

_"Helga Hufflepuff believed that the Magic was too powerful and should be destroyed, while Slytherin wanted to experiment with the Magic to discover its limits. Godric Gryffindor believed that they had discovered the source of all magic and wanted the Magic contained and preserved._

"Well, spells like the ones in these books require lots of experience in the Dark Arts, which would mean that a Dark Wizard is trying to hurt you somehow," Hermione elaborated.

_Though the founders bickered over the Magic, they had agreed to do nothing until they could come to a consensus. But Slytherin believed that they would never agree on a solution and continued his experiments in secret, going to the top of what is now known as the Astronomy Tower every night._

"And that's illogical?" Harry snorted. "I've been hunted by Dark Wizards all my life."

"You've been hunted by _one_ Dark Wizard, and we know it's not Voldemort, right?" Hermione retorted.

_Slytherin managed to use the Magic accomplish great feats. He created food out of nothing, developed spells that could kill, torture and control others, and even reanimated a dead animal. But one night, Slytherin managed to tear a hole in the fabric of reality._

"Yeah, Dumbledore made it clear that he didn't cast this spell."

_A gateway to another reality opened, causing the darkest creatures to flood the earth: Dementors. The portal continued expanding, destroying part of castle. Though Slytherin attempted to close the gateway, it continued expanding, expelling Dementors, and destroying everything it touched. Slytherin realized that if he could not close the gateway, he would destroy the planet._

"Name another Dark Wizard then," Hermione said smugly.

_Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw rushed to the top of the tower to defend the school. The Dementors began to swarm the castle when the wards broke, and the founders realized their full powers. Students rushed out of the castle walls to fight the creatures, but they were incapacitated by fear and lost their souls. Ravenclaw used the Patronus Charm, which she had developed using the Magic, to repel the creatures. Hufflepuff quickly followed suit and they used the spell to keep the Dementors away from the students._

_ Slytherin and Gryffindor attempted to reverse the spell, but found that they could not. They desperately attempted to close the gateway, but nothing they tried worked, and they realized that they had minutes before they would be destroyed._

_ Looking up in despair, Gryffindor realized that the portal lined up perfectly with the planets and stars in the sky: Mars, Mercury, Venus, the moon, and Ceres. Gryffindor had all of the founders combine their prolific powers to push Ceres out of alignment, which closed the portal. Ravenclaw theorized that if Ceres had not been removed, the portal would have continued to grow until either the universe was consumed or the Magic ran out. Ravenclaw estimated that it would be at least a millennia before the planets would align again in that matter._

_ Gryffindor feared this Magic, which he named The Key and hid it from the rest of the founders. He was afraid to destroy it though, still believing it to be the source of all magic. All four founders were weakened due to the immense power it took to divert disaster, and they hardly found themselves capable of restoring the wards and keeping the Dementors away from the students. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw both died soon after, and Gryffindor feared that he too was not long for this world._

"Grindelwald," Harry said after a long pause.

"He's in prison for the rest of his life. Name another."

_Gryffindor took the Key to a group of muggle mystics for protection, knowing that Slytherin would want the Key for himself and was too proud to consider that Gryffindor could have entrusted it to muggles. He tasked them with watching over the Key and ensuring that the Key would never be used again. According to Gryffindor's final journal, he worked with the mystics to create a spell that would allow them to capture any person, create a doppelganger for that person, hide the Key inside in the doppelganger, and return the doppelganger into society none the wiser, in case someone discovered them and they needed to hide the Key. Gryffindor even developed a means to alter memories to hide the person's temporary disappearance. _

_ He dubbed these mystics the Order of Dagon._

"You can't because there are no others!" Hermione nearly shouted after several minutes. "And even if there was another, why would they try to kill you if you're their best hope for killing Voldemort?"

_Slytherin still believed that the Key could be used to change the world. So, he gathered his knights and tasked them with finding the Key and returning it, using whatever means necessary. He called them the Knights of Byzantium._

_ Before both men died, they tipped their hands and revealed the opposing societies. The Knights of Byzantium sought the Order of Dagon to return their Key to magical society with the hopes of changing the world, and the Order of Dagon hid the Key with their lives._

"So what should we be looking for?"

Hermione sighed again. "That I'm not so sure of."

Ron turned the page of the book. _Both societies have practically disappeared over the ages, although both are still believed to be active. The only evidence of their continued existence is the _Book of Tarnis, _which suggests that The Order of Dagon have refined their spell so they could use the Key to alter realty by creating an entirely new person to hide the key inside. They even refined Gryffindor's spell so they could warp everyone's memories to include this new person. Thus, they could hide the Key practically anywhere in the world, and place it in the protection of the world's strongest by having them belief that the Key was their child, spouse or sibling._

A new person? Warping everyone's memories? Believe that the Key was a sibling? Could Dawn have been created by some ancient society to carry around this Key?

"I think I know," Ron spoke up suddenly. Hermione and Harry both looked over at him expectantly. "Reality altering."

"Reality altering?" Harry asked as Hermione stood behind Ron and read over his shoulder.

"The Order of Dagon," both said at the same time. Hermione skimmed the pages very quickly before turning the book to Harry.

"I can't believe you found it Ron," Hermione admitted, slightly dumbstruck.

"Neither can I," Ron chuckled.

"How did you find this book?" Hermione asked. "It wasn't on the table, was it?"

"No, it was on the shelves. And, I don't know how I found it. It just caught my eye, I guess."

Harry looked up from the book with a look of horror on his face.

"Harry, what do you think? Does this seem to fit what Dumbledore told you?" Hermione asked.

"I think so…" Harry still appeared lost.

"Are you alright mate?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I just…I need to figure something out for myself." Harry grabbed his belongings and exited the library in a hurry.

"Why do you think he ran off like that?" Ron asked Hermione.

"How can you be so dense? He just found out that his sister was replaced by some doppelganger that contains this all-powerful Key. I hope we can find the real Dawn."

"The real Dawn? Didn't you read the second page?"

Hermione paled. "What second page?" She grabbed the book, flipped the page, and read frantically.

"Don't you see, Hermione?"

"Dawn isn't a doppelganger, she's an entirely new person. They made us think that she's always been in our lives."

"You don't think Harry skipped that page too?"

Hermione jumped out of her seat and grabbed her wand. "There's no time to find out. Harry probably thinks that Dawn isn't his real sister. I don't know what he plans on doing, but you need to find her and get him to back down before he does something he'll regret."

'I have no idea where she is! And if Harry has the map, he'll find her before I do!"

"After Quidditch practice, she usually goes to the Room of Requirement to practice some spells with Neville. The map can't see into there, so if you hurry you might make it there before he realizes where she is."

"No pressure…" Ron mumbled.

"I'll try and get Professor Dumbledore. I'm afraid Harry might do something drastic."

Ron simply nodded and started sprinting towards the seventh floor. His entire body ached from practice, but he knew that he had to protect Dawn. Whatever she was, she was still his sister.

..::..

Harry hardly had time to cover himself with the Invisibility Cloak and pull out the Marauder's Map before he saw Ron running out of the library. Hermione followed him not too shortly thereafter, sprinting in the opposite direction. No doubt Ron was looking for him and Hermione was rushing to tell Dumbledore that they finally had a theory as to what had happened. A brief look at the map confirmed his suspicions.

Some ancient society captured his sister and replaced her with a doppelganger that held what Gryffindor believed to be the source of all magic.

Who knows how long the real Dawn had been missing? Or where she was? Or whether she was still alive.

Ron seemed to have taken the news well. Perhaps he would feel differently if it had been his sister who had been replaced by a doppelganger.

Harry shook his head. Hermione was off to tell Dumbledore, who probably knew of some spell that could confirm whether Dawn was really his sister or just a container for the Key. Something that could see through magical spells…

Dumbledore did know of a spell like that. And he did it in front of Harry.

He pulled out his wand and waved it in the air. "Tirer la Couverture!" he pronounced. He closed his eyes and blinked a few times, expecting that the world would somehow change, but yet nothing happened.

He was about to give up, when he got an idea. Pointing his wand to his glasses, Harry again proclaimed, "Tirer la Couverture." This time when he blinked, the portraits on the walls and the staircases stopped moving, the lights in the castle were unlit, and the ink on the map disappeared. He lifted his glasses and blurry magic returned to the world.

Unfortunately, Harry knew that casting the spell was useless if he couldn't find Dawn. It was hard to read the map without his glasses, but he was sure that Dawn was nowhere to be found. He absentmindedly followed Ron on the map, but saw him suddenly turn away from Gryffindor Tower and disappear off the map. Harry pressed the map close to his face, hoping that the light was playing tricks on him.

Only one thing could cause someone to disappear off the map: the Room of Requirement. Harry put his glasses back on and walked through an eerily still Hogwarts.

..::..

Hermione approached the gargoyle that guarded the door to Dumbledore's office. "I need to see Dumbledore!" she explained between breaths. "It's an emergency!"

The gargoyle remained stoic.

"It's a matter of life and death!" Again, the gargoyle didn't move.

"What was the password again? Lemon drop! Candy cane! Ginger snap!" After each phrase, she paused and hesitantly waited for the gargoyle to step aside, but each time she was disappointed.

"Can you at least let him know Hermione Granger is here to see him?" she asked desperately. For the first time, the gargoyle nodded. Moments later, it stepped aside and a magical escalator carried her straight into Dumbledore's office.

"Professor, we have a problem!" Hermione exclaimed before taking inventory. Professor Dumbledore was seated at his desk, flanked by Professor Snape. "But perhaps I'm just exaggerating," she stammered.

"Miss Granger, if this has to do with the research assignment I gave you, then I assure you that whatever you have to say can be said in front of Professor Snape."

She nodded warily but continued. "We think we found the solution: the Order of Dagon." Both professors gave her a confused stare (or rather, a glare in Snape's case), so she summarized the brief history of the Key. "We believe that Dawn was created by the Order of Dagon to hold the Key, and was sent here so Harry would protect her with his life."

Dumbledore stroked his beard and nodded. "That does indeed seem to explain the situation rather well."

"Then what is the problem?" Snape asked slowly.

She sighed. "Harry didn't finish reading the passage," she paused to allow Snape to make a snide remark under his breath, "and he believes that his Dawn was captured and replaced with a doppelganger containing the Key. I'm not sure what he's going to do, but he snuck off, and I think he might hurt Dawn if he thinks she's an imposter."

Dumbledore nodded. "Do you have any idea where Miss Potter might be?"

"She helps Neville with his spell-casting after Quidditch practice. In the Room of Requirement." Hermione paused to allow Snape to make another comment, but he was silent. In fact, he looked confused.

"Go find Dawn. I doubt that Harry will do anything to harm even what he believes to be his sister's imposter." He paused before adding, "Professor Snape will go with you, just in case."

Hermione nodded, and stepped out of the office. Snape went to follow, but lingered in the doorway. "Do you really believe Potter will refrain from taking drastic action?"

The headmaster sighed and rubbed his blackened hand, which Snape had just helped medicate. "Wiser men than Harry have made very similar mistakes."

_..::.._

_ "Are you sure it's safe to park the car here?" Ron asked his older brothers. The Ford Anglia they probably shouldn't have taken was currently hovering next to a window on the second floor of Number 4 Privet Drive. They assumed this was Harry's bedroom, but mostly because they tried the other windows and had yet to find him. Also, it was the only one with bars, which matched the few descriptions Harry had given him during the year._

_ "Believe me, this is the safest place to park the car," Fred replied as he engaged the parking brake._

_ "Why?"_

_ "Because, the next place we park this car is going to be home…" Fred started._

_ "And Mum'll kill us on the spot," George finished. Ron anxiously gulped, shuddering at the thought._

_ "Oi."_

_ "Time to wake up Harry!" Fred yelled as he dramatically mimed pushing his hand down on the horn as he turned on the headlights so it shone into the bedroom._

_ The longer they waited for any signs of life in the room, the more anxious Ron grew. He hadn't heard anything from his best mate all summer, and though he didn't quite trust Errol to deliver a letter, he had been surprised not to see Hedwig even once._

_ Eventually, there was a shuffling inside and the window opened behind the bars. "Ron? Is that you? How—what…"_

_ "No time Harry," Fred began._

_ George tossed him some rope. "Attach this to the bars." Harry nodded and tied his end to the bars while George tied his end to the car. "Floor it!" George called as the bars came flying off the wall. They hung from the car awkwardly before George cut them off and they fell into some rose bushes._

_ Ron jumped into the window (and noticed that some of the siding on the house had come off with the bars in the process) along with his brothers. The two friends gave one another a quick pat on the back._

_ "Did you get my letters?" Ron blurted out. _

_ Harry responded by shaking his head but Fred held up his hand. "Quiet you two."_

_ "Now, put your trunk in the car and let's get out of here." George continued._

_ The two twins looked around the room briefly before looking back at Harry. "Where's your trunk?" they asked in unison._

_ "Downstairs," Harry sighed. "In the cupboard under the stairs. Dawn's in there too."_

_ Fred and George exchanged a glance, but Ron didn't have time to interpret it. They did that often. "We'll get her," Fred stated, pulling out a bobby pin._

_ "Get the rest of your things into the car while we're gone." They undid the latch on the door in seconds and slinked into the hallway, as though they were on a mission for MI6._

_ Harry put his owl cage in the trunk of the car and looked around the room slowly before sitting down on the bed. After Ron gave the room a once over, he came to the same conclusion: there was nothing else worth taking. Even though his family was poor, the walls of his bedroom were still covered with Quidditch posters and pictures. Harry's walls were blank, with the only decoration coming from the chipping paint. "About the letters," Harry began._

_ "It's nothing," Ron said, understanding his friend a little more clearly. "Why's your sister in the cupboard?_

_ Harry sighed. "A house elf levitated a bowl in front of my relatives and they thought it was me."_

_ "So they threw her in a cupboard to punish you?"_

_ "They know it's the only thing that works," he shrugged._

_ For the first time in his life, Ron was speechless._

_ The door to the bedroom suddenly opened and the twins slinked back into the room carrying a large trunk, followed by a ghost. No, not an actual ghost, but the black haired girl, wearing one of Ginny's old pale blue dresses, could certainly not exist. For when Ron looked into her bright blue eyes, he saw the younger sister that was taken from them years ago._

_ Perhaps he hadn't noticed at the train station because of his excitement of going to and coming from Hogwarts, but it was painfully obvious. The girl, Dawn, looked back into his eyes briefly before she shifted her gaze to the floor and bit her lower lip in embarrassment._

_ "Hello," he said cheerfully as the twins heaved Harry's trunk to the window._

_ "Hi," she said shyly, her long bangs shifting to block her face._

_ "Are you Dawn?" he asked, stupidly he thought. Of course she was Dawn, what other girl would be locked in a cupboard in the Dursley's house? But she just nodded, as though it wasn't obvious. "I'm Ron, your brother…your brother's best mate."_

_ "Ginny's brother," she whispered._

_ A huge grin crossed his face. "Yeah, Ginny's brother." Yours too._

..::..

"Ron, what are you doing here?" Dawn asked.

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but nothing but air came out. After running across the castle at top speed, he was panting and gaping for air. To regain his breath, he dropped to one knee.

"Are you alright?" she asked instead.

He nodded furiously and managed to spit out, "Fine!"

Neville reached out and pulled Ron to his feet. "Mate, you don't look so good."

Ron shook off the remark and stared at Dawn for a moment. She seemed concerned, and when he stared into her blue eyes, he had no doubt that they were the blue eyes of his one-time baby sister. He could still see the power behind those eyes, which had been there all along.

"Ron, I think you need to sit down," she said calmly.

"Dawn, you're not safe right now."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Ron, what's going on?" Neville demanded.

"Well…you see…I'm not sure how to explain this…" Ron babbled. How was he supposed to gently tell Dawn that her brother thinks that she isn't real and is coming now to figure out where the "real" Dawn is? He wasn't even sure if he fully understood the situation. "Harry is on his way here. And I think he's going to try to hurt you."

"Why?" Dawn asked sceptically.

"I'm not sure if I can explain it quickly. You need to seal off the Room of Requirement until he calms down."

"You have to give us more information mate. Why's Harry upset? Did someone tell him something?"

"More like he read something." Not a lie.

"What did he read?" Dawn pressed.

"A book." Not a lie.

Dawn smacked him offside the head. Not the first time she's done that, but definitely the hardest. "Ever so helpful Ron. If you can't be serious, then leave. Neville was practising his silent spell-casting and he's almost got it."

Ron grabbed her hand and stared deeply inter her blue eyes. "Dawn, I swear to you that I'm being serious."

"Then you need to tell me what's going on."

"I'm not sure I know," he sighed. "It's fishy. Harry's not acting like himself. It's almost as if…"

"Polyjuice Potion," Dawn gasped. Ron's mouth fell open in shock. "I know, it sounds crazy, but I think someone's buying hairs to use for the potion. I heard Zacharias Smith selling some in the bathroom. What if he got some off of Harry?"

Ron's head was spinning. "That must be it." Definitely a lie.

"Who do you think is buying hairs?" Neville asked.

"Well, impersonating Harry would definitely come in handy. Ruin his reputation, deny You-Know-Who's existence…"

"Sorry to interrupt, but you really need to seal the room!" Ron interrupted.

"Who are you trying to keep out?" A new voice asked.

From the middle of the room, a figure appeared out of thin air.

Shit.

"Harry," Ron cautioned, "we need to talk."

"The time for talking is over Ron."

"Harry," Ron continued pressing, "you didn't finish reading. There's something that I need to tell you."

"What's going on here?" Dawn asked. "Ron, is this really Harry?"

"Whatever you want to tell me, you can say in front of _that_," Harry gestured to Dawn with his wand raised. From his perspective, behind _Tirer la Couverture, _all he could see was the glowing green orb standing between Ron and Neville.

"Fine," Ron sighed. "There was another page. You didn't read the whole story, you didn't read about what actually happened. I'll explain it all on the way back to the tower." He took a step forward but Harry didn't lower his wand. Ron went to reach into his pocket, but Harry cut him off.

"Don't Ron. I don't care what the book said, I can see the truth."

"Seriously, what are you two taking about?" Dawn hissed.

"I can't explain. Not now."

"Everything it said about her is true!" Harry yelled. "She's not who—what—you think she is!"

"What book did he read?" Dawn demanded.

"Seriously Dawn, I can't explain."

"He read my diary didn't he?" Dawn turned her attention to her brother, who still had a wand aimed at her. "You read my diary? You promised you wouldn't."

Harry frowned. "You can't keep your secret from me. Where is she?"

"Where's who?" Dawn asked.

"Where is my sister?" Harry demanded.

"I'm… I'm right here," Dawn said hesitantly.

"That's not the answer I'm looking for." Harry cocked his wrist. "I'm going to ask one more time: where is she?"

"Harry, what's wrong with you?"

Harry was about to open his mouth to respond when a blast of red light stunned Harry. A weak Disarming Charm caused his wand to fall out of his hand. When Harry went to reach for it, Neville cried, "Stupefy!" Harry lunged forward to grab his wand, allowing the stunner to sail over him harmlessly.

"Petrificus totalus!" Harry yelled in response. Neville was shocked that Harry had regained his wand so quickly and didn't have time to defend himself. He fell over harmlessly.

During the scrum, Ron grabbed Dawn and pulled her behind him while drawing out his wand in defence. He wanted to revive Neville, but he didn't dare take his wand off Harry, who had his wand pointed square at Dawn.

"Good job casting a silent disarming spell Neville. It caught me off guard."

"Harry stop!" Dawn shrieked. "Whatever you read, I can explain."

"All I want to know is where the real Dawn is."

"I'm right here."

"We both know that's not true!" Harry yelled. "Ron, step aside. I'm going to get answers out of her."

"You're going to have to get through me first."

Both young men tightened their grips on their wands and stared at each other intently. Neither wanted to make the first move. Ron knew that Harry had the advantage though. Harry only had to attack and defend himself. Ron had to make sure nothing happened to Dawn.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry called forth a jolt of red light, this one much stronger than the one Neville had produced. "Stupefy!" he called immediately after, aiming a stunner at his friend's shoulder.

"Protego!" Ron responded, striking off the first charm with a wave of his wand. He reached out towards the stunner and was barely able to deflect it using the shield.

"Expelliarmus! Stupefy!" Harry called again, sending out the same volley of spells.

"Accio table!" Ron called, causing a table to fly into the trajectory of the spells. The table exploded on impact, causing splinters to fly everywhere. "Stupefy! Stupefy!" Ron's stunners went flying towards Harry, who was still trying to dodge the wood flying through the air.

"Protego!" Harry defended, silently cursing himself for letting Ron gain the upper hand so quickly. Due to the spell on his glasses, he couldn't see the spells' trajectories, but his shield was powerful enough to withstand Ron's volley.

"Flipendo!" Ron yelled, hoping to keep Harry on the defence. "Petrificus totalus!"

Harry lunged out of the way of the two spells and was able to return volley. "Stupefy! Expelliarmus! Impedimenta! Depulso!"

"Protego!" Ron summoned his shield and managed to stop the first few spells, but the third connected and caused his entire body to slow. Then, the Banishing charm fit him directly in the chest. Ron flew through the air and bashed his shoulder into the hard ground upon landing.

"Ron!" Dawn screamed, but she realized that Harry hadn't lowered his wand. "Harry, I don't know what's going on. Why do you want to hurt Ron? What did you read? Who do you think I am?"

Harry heard his sister's familiar voice, but could only see the green orb in his glasses. "You know what's going on! Now where is she?" Harry screamed.

Dawn stared him back and fought down the tears. "Harry, listen to me! I don't know what you want from me."

"You're going to tell me what I want to know. Where is my sister?"

Ron struggled to lift his chest off the ground using his elbows. His shoulder was definitely separated, though it wouldn't surprise him if his collarbone were broken as well. "Harry, listen to her! She is your sister!"

"No it's not!" Harry screamed. It wasn't his sister, it abducted his sister. Wherever Dawn was, the _real _Dawn was, he intended to find her and save her. This…thing, this thing wasn't his sister. This thing's…an enemy.

Raising his wand at Dawn, Harry delivered his final ultimatum. "Last chance to tell me what I want to know."

Ron rose to his feet slowly, tightly gripping his shoulder with his arm. He let his wand hang limply from the wandarm he couldn't raise. "She's real! She's your sister! I swear!"

Tears began to fall. "I'm sorry Harry. I don't know."

"Don't say that!" Ron screamed. "Harry, you've confused her! You have to believe me!"

Harry was seething. This thing couldn't help him. In his anger, he saw one phrase, written within his potions textbook by the Half-Blood Prince: _"Sectumsempra—for enemies only."_

Harry slashed forward with his wand, "Sectumsempra!" Instantly, a gash appeared along Dawn's wandarm, causing her to shriek in pain. Harry saw the green orb beginning to fade and repeated the slashing motion.

However, there wasn't another shriek, as Ron lunged in front of Dawn, causing huge slashes and cuts along his chest. He landed awkwardly on the ground, his blood already pooling along the floor.

"Ron!" Dawn screamed rushing to his side.

"Stay away from him!" Harry demanded.

Dawn turned her attention to him and raised her wand, which had streaks of her blood running down its side. "Expelliarmus!" she screamed. A bright jet of red energy caused Harry's wand to jump from his hand, and knocked Harry back several feet and into the far wall. His glasses shattered from the impact, causing him to see the destruction he caused.

In the corner lied Neville, who saw the battle from his petrified position.

There were broken bits of furniture everyway, from both the table that Ron exploded and from the spells Harry deflected using his shield.

But most distressingly, at the far end of the room, his sister's arms were covered in blood as she attempted to give CPR to his best mate. She didn't stop for a moment.

"What have I done?" he whispered to himself.

The door to the room of Requirement suddenly burst open. Snape took in the damage to the room, but quickly ran to Dawn's aid. Hermione followed in after him and gaped at the scene before resting her gaze firmly at Harry. She then rushed across the room to assist Neville.

"What happened here?" Snape asked as he examined Ron's body.

"Harry used some kind of spell I've never heard of before. Sectum…"

"He couldn't have," Snape mumbled to himself. He reached into his robes, smearing blood everywhere as he pulled out his wand. "Vulnera Sanentur!" he cast on Ron. As Dawn was pumping his chest, she noticed the blood instantly stopped flowing and his wounds began to close. Snape appeared surprised at the success at the spell, but still cast it again on Ron's body, causing all of the visible wounds to close. Dawn realized that her wound had closed as well.

Snape attempted to wipe the blood off his wand, but couldn't. He picked up Ron's limp body. "He'll pull through so long as we get him to Madame Pomfrey immediately." He started to rush out the room, but paused in the doorway. "Ms. Potter, come with me. Ms. Granger, please escort Mr. Potter to the Headmaster's office."

Harry was too stunned to move though. "What have I done?" he repeated to himself.

..::..

The usual whir of excitement Harry usually got from sitting in Dumbledore's office never seemed to arrive. It seemed like an eternity had passed since Hermione had escorted him to the office, and together the three of them sat in silence while they waited for Snape to return from the Hospital Wing.

"Harry, while we wait, I'd like to hear your side of the story," Dumbledore finally said.

Harry sighed and explained what he had read, how he had cast _Tirer la Couverture _on his glasses, and how he had seen his sister as a glowing green orb. Every once in a while, Hermione would let out a gasp at a detail, but Dumbledore was stoic.

When Harry finished his tale, the headmaster sighed and stroked his beard. "Harry, I've looked at this book, and I too believe that your sister is this Key that Godric Gryffindor hid."

"Is what Ron said true? Did I fail to read everything?" Harry asked tentatively. Truthfully, he didn't want to know the answer. He didn't want to believe that his haste had caused this whole mess.

It was Hermione who responded with a tentative nod. "There was a second page." Rather than summarizing, she grabbed the book off Dumbledore's desk and pointed to the first paragraph on the following page:

"_Both societies have practically disappeared over the ages, although both are still believed to be active. The only evidence of their continued existence is the _Book of Tarnis, _which suggests that The Order of Dagon have refined their spell so they could use the Key to alter realty by creating an entirely new person, hiding the Key inside of it, and warping everyone's memories to match. Thus, they could hide the Key practically anywhere in the world, and place it in the protection of the world's strongest by having them belief that the Key was their child, spouse or sibling."_

"So this society trusted me to protect the key. My sister," Harry realized.

Dumbledore pulled a roll of parchment out of his desk. "In the Ministry, there is a quill that records every magical birth as it happens. Then, they ship the scroll here to Hogwarts so we know who to invite to join the school." He handed the scroll to Harry. "This is for your sister's class."

Harry quickly scanned the list and saw that beside each name was the date of that person's birth. However, he couldn't find his sister.

"Dawn's not on this list," Hermione confirmed, having read over his shoulder.

The headmaster nodded. "You are correct, Ms. Potter is not listed." Dumbledore pulled out another scroll. "This is the newest scroll. Ordinarily, I wouldn't open it until the students within turn eleven, but given the circumstance, I decided to investigate."

Harry and Hermione scanned the new list, and towards the bottom they saw something unusual: "_Miss Dawn Sumerlyn Potter, June 18__th_."

"Dawn was born just this past summer?" Harry gaped.

"Indeed, it would appear as though Miss Potter never existed until after your little incident at the Department of Mysteries."

Harry buried his face in his hands. "What have I done?"

He suddenly felt a reassuring touch on his shoulder. "Nothing that can't be fixed," Hermione said encouragingly. "Ron knows exactly why you were so upset, and Dawn will forgive you in time."

"You don't know Dawn very well then," Harry smirked. The smile quickly left his face though as he realized, "Neither do I though."

"The girl from your memories is Dawn," Dumbledore confirmed. "Nothing has changed. Except now there are five individuals in this castle that know exactly what Dawn is."

"Five?" Harry questioned. "Who else knows other than Ron and us?"

"Professor Snape. He is going to monitor Voldemort's actions to determine whether he was after this Key."

Harry nodded hesitantly. Snape wasn't on his list of favourite professors, but he was unfortunately an invaluable ally. "How am I going to explain this to Dawn."

"You won't, for now at least. Dawn should not learn the truth all at once," Dumbledore cautioned, "particularly if there is no reason for her to know. For all we know, there was no danger to the Key, and we may never need to tell her."

"But how do I explain tonight?" Harry asked. "The whole school probably saw Ron being carried to the hospital wing."

"Professor Snape healed him enough that it just looked like an accidental spell," Hermione explained. "Some people think it was Neville or Dawn that did it."

"As for your actions," Dumbledore continued, "you should explain to your sister that you had reason to believe that someone was going to use Polyjuice Potion to capture and replace her to use against you, in the same way they used Professor Moody."

"She isn't going to accept that," Harry said.

"Better than nothing," Hermione reaffirmed.

"May I be excused to go to the Hospital Wing?" Harry asked.

"Not yet Potter," Professor Snape sneered as he entered the office. "There are some important matters we must discuss first." Snape stormed to the other side of the desk and took his place behind Dumbledore so he could glare at Harry.

"First, one hundred points from Gryffindor for a number of infractions."

"Understood," Harry sighed. Truthfully, losing points was the least of his worries.

"Second, you will return surrender your potions book to me immediately."

"How…"

"Weasley told me in the hospital wing. Lastly, detention, with me, every night until further notice."

Harry nodded. He expected nothing less. "How are Dawn and Ron?"

"Weasley is doing surprisingly well. He lost a significant amount of blood, but the healing spells I used were far more effective than I thought. Your sister also appears to be doing well, and they are being kept overnight as more of a precaution than anything."

"May I be excused now?"

"You may leave," Dumbledore said.

"Thank you sir." Harry looked to Hermione, but she shook her head. Harry sighed and quickly exited the room. Snape also left, muttering something indecipherable.

"Miss Granger, is there a reason you decided to stay?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes sir, I was wondering if you knew where _The Book of Tarnis_ is."

"Is that the volume mentioned in this book?"

"Yes sir, admittedly I only looked in the library quickly before we left, but I didn't see it in the restricted section."

"It is probably lost, otherwise this Order of Dagon would be better known."

"I assumed as much too, but I was hoping that you might know of something. There is so much we don't know about this situation."

Dumbledore stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Perhaps there is one other library that might have the book. It's not likely, but I will inquire."

"Thank you sir."

..::..

Quentin Travers had seen a great deal of unusual things during his tenure with the Watcher's Council. When he had been a watcher in the field, he had faced demons that ordinary people couldn't fathom. Yet, it was an owl perched on his desk, in broad daylight in the middle of downtown London that took him aback.

The creature regarded him with an eerily calm demeanour. After looking him up and down, it raised its leg to reveal a piece of parchment. Quentin reached forward and unrolled the parchment. The owl then calmly spread its wings and flew out the window, as though Owls normally flew in and out of buildings during the day.

He scratched his head and read the ornate handwriting on the parchment. What he saw caused his heart to nearly explode into his chest. He pushed a button on his intercom: "Denise, please book me a seat on the first plane to Sunnydale, California. I'm afraid it's rather urgent."

* * *

Disclaimer: Some dialogue lifted from Chapter 3 of _Chamber of_ _Secret_s.

Please take the time to give me feedback about this chapter. As always, your grammatical and spelling nitpickings and constructive criticism are welcome!


	9. Remind Me

Disclaimer: This chapter contains text directly lifted from Chapter 5 of Prisoner of Azkaban.

**Chapter 9: Remind Me**

* * *

_ The sounds of the Leaky Cauldron never bothered Harry during the two weeks he was by himself. He hardly even noticed the gentle creaking of the floorboards, the ticking and humming of the fire, and the rapping of the wind against the window. But on this night, with Ron snoring in the room next door to him, he was aware of every noise, no matter how quiet._

_ The idea that Sirius Black was trying to kill him was disturbing, but that barely registered as a blip on his radar since his sister was so angry with him that she didn't want to even look at him. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Dawn avoiding eye contact with him and whispering messages to Ginny so softly that he couldn't even hear her voice._

_ It was too much for him to bear._

_ Harry needed to apologize. Again, technically, but two o'clock in the morning wasn't exactly the time to be concerned with semantics._

_ He got up quietly enough that the mirror didn't notice him stir and sneaked into the hallway. He tiptoed down the hall to room seven, where Dawn was sleeping with Ginny and Hermione. Expecting everyone to be asleep, he was surprised to see light escaping from the gap underneath the door, and even more surprised to hear whispers._

_ "Did your aunt and uncle hurt you after he left?" Ginny asked._

_ "Well, no," Dawn admitted. "They thought Harry did all that magic. Still do, actually."_

_ "Then, I think you should talk to him. Listen to what he has to say," Ginny implored._

_ "You're only saying that because he saved your life last term," Dawn responded._

_ "No, I'm saying that because he didn't mean to hurt you."_

_ You tell her, Ginny, Harry thought. He didn't mean to be forcibly separated from her for two weeks. These were elements beyond his control._

_ "Well he did."_

_ I didn't mean to!_

_ "He says he didn't mean to."_

_ "It's more than that!"_

_ "Than what is it?"_

_ Yes, what is it? Harry pleaded for Dawn to tell Ginny what it was that she wanted him to do, how he could fix this mess that he created. Anything that he could use to formulate a proper apology.  
Dawn sighed. "I'm just not ready to forgive him yet."_

_ Anything except wait._

_ "Maybe we should go to sleep then," Ginny said. _

..::..

Harry took a deep breath as he stood outside the door to the hospital wing. He had visited there many times, and been treated as a patient countless more, but he had never had to visit someone he put into the hospital wing. Well, at least someone he put in the hospital wing maliciously.

When he opened the door, he was both relieved and surprised to see Ron sitting up in bed eating. Ron hesitantly waved Harry over. Harry took a seat on the edge of Ron's bed, which was next to a curtain that cordoned off another bed, presumably Dawn's, from the rest of the room.

"So, uh, how you feeling?"

"Fine. Snape said he was surprised at how effective his spell was. Honestly, I think he was a little put off that I don't even have a scratch on me."

They shared a short laugh before an awkward pause set in. "Listen, I'm…"

"I know," Ron cut him off.

"I should have listened to you."

"Just remember that next time and you can consider us even." Ron extended his hand.

"You've got yourself a deal mate," Harry replied as he shook Ron's hand.

"So, did Hermione, uh…" Ron trailed off, gesturing with his head towards the partition.

"Yeah, she did. Snape too, for the record."

"Good to know. How's he going to punish you for all this?"

"One hundred points from Gryffindor, detention every night until he's sick of me, and I have to give him my potions book."

"What's the book got to do with any of this?"

Harry was slightly taken aback by this comment. "He said you told him about it."

"I didn't even know that spell came from the Half-Blood Prince," he shrugged. "Snape probably lifted it from your mind when he was listing your punishment."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Harry agreed.

He began to reach for the curtain partition but Ron grabbed his hand. "What are you doing?"

"I was going to apologize to Dawn."

"And tell her the truth?"

"And tell her that I thought she was someone else using the Polyjuice Potion."

"Funny, she thought the same thing about you. Said something about Zacharias Smith selling hairs."

"So she'll believe me."

"You shouldn't have to be worried about her believing you."

"I know, but…"

Ron raised an eyebrow, and his message was perfectly clear: But you should tell her the truth.

"I can't."

"You're right, you can't. Because she's asleep," Ron smirked. "But you should after she wakes up."

"It's not that simple. It's my job to protect her, and I've already failed."

Ron threw his arm around Harry. "Yeah, I know. Bur you don't have to protect her alone."

Harry nodded absently, as he couldn't shake a sensation of déjà vu. "I should leave before Madame Pomfrey realizes I'm here. Get well soon, yeah?"

"You know it mate." He then watched silently as Harry slipped on his invisibility cloak and waited until he heard the click of the door that signalled his departure. "So how much of that did you hear?"

"What?" Dawn squeaked from the other side of the curtain.

"All of it then?" He could hear Dawn sigh, but she was silent. "I can't hear you nodding."

"How'd you know?"  
"You've never exactly been subtle." He paused to allow for a biting comment that never surfaced. "So, what did you think?"

"What did I think?"

"Of Harry. I thought he was sincere. And, you heard, he had a valid reason for attacking us." Dawn couldn't stifle a sarcastic laugh. "As I recall, it was the same theory you were operating under."

Once again, Ron was met with silence.

"You don't understand," she said suddenly.

"Understand what?"

"You've never been maliciously attacked by your brother."

It was Ron's turn to scoff. "Yeah, because I've lived in a fantastical world where my brothers never attacked me with giant spiders, puking pastilles, acid pops…"

"Never mind," Dawn muttered.

"Not finished. Or forced me into Unbreakable Vows, jinxed my broom, or put explosives in robes before they would hand them down to me. You're right, I don't have a fucking clue what it's like."

"Jesus Ron…"

"And the bloody punching telescope! Almost forgot that one."

"There's no need to be hostile."

"You're right, because you're so bloody pleasant to be around when you're pissed off at Harry."

"Fine, I get your point."

"No, I don't think you do. All the times my brothers were complete arses, they only apologized because my mother beat them into it. If they managed to prank me at school, I wouldn't get one. Harry has always been there for you, and every time he does something that hurts you, he instantly feels remorse. Genuine remorse."

Again, Ron was met with silence.

"You don't have to say anything," he admitted. "Just think about it."

Ron had no way of hearing Dawn's tears hit the pillows.

..::..

The next morning, Harry was horrified to discover that the Hogwarts rumour mill had once again worked its magic. As he entered the Great Hall, all eyes were on him, and he could hear every hushed whispers.

"He attacked his best mate…"

"…his sister still…"

"…went on a rampage…"

"…spells flying everywhere…"

"…blood just gushing…"

Harry groaned as he finally reached the Gryffindor table and collapsed into his seat next to Hermione, who gave him a sympathetic pat on the back.

"So is it true?" someone asked.

Harry looked up to see Seamus sitting across the table. Although he hadn't asked cruelly, the question stung nonetheless. "I…"

"It was me," a new voice interrupted. Neville stood up and repeated himself, but louder so the whole hall could hear. "It was me! Harry, Ron, and Dawn were helping me with my nonverbal spell-casting, and I tried to block one of Harry's spells with a silent Shield Charm. I bungled the spell, and instead of blocking the spell, I augmented and deflected it. The spell ricocheted into Ron and Dawn. It's all my fault!" The hall sat in silence, staring at Neville. "That's all. You can, uh, resume eating."

"Squib!" someone yelled from the Slytherin table. Half the hall was laughing before Neville could sit down.

"Thanks Neville," Harry said, shaking his hand and pulling him close. "You didn't have to do that," Harry muttered into his ear.

"I needed to," he replied loudly enough for everyone to hear. "It was all a simple misunderstanding. You didn't do anything wrong."

Someone from the end of the table, a first- or second-year Harry didn't recognize, threw a scone at Neville's head and yelled, "You just cost us the Quidditch Cup, you twat!"

Hermione rose to apprehend the delinquent, but was beaten to the punch by Colin. "Excuse you. If you want to defend my girlfriend's honour, you might want to do it more politely. I'll see you in detention every day this week, after you're done meeting with Professor McGonagall about using the Queen's English." Colin then grabbed him by his collar and began walking him towards the staff table and their waiting Head of House.

"The Queen's English?" Hermione questioned as they passed, which Colin just shrugged off.

"Seemed like an official thing to say."

"I should probably go," Neville said hesitantly as he gathered his belongings.

"You don't have to go," Seamus insisted. "That one prick doesn't speak for the rest of us."

Neville eyed the table, and a quick scan did not confirm Seamus' sentiment. "No, it's fine. I want to revise my essay before Defence."

Hermione nudged Harry. "We should go too. Check on Ron and Dawn."

Harry nodded absentmindedly as Hermione led him out of the hall. They turned as though they were headed towards the Hospital Wing, but as soon as they rounded the corner she pulled him into an empty classroom.

"When did you tell him?" Hermione asked.

"Huh?"

"Neville. When did you tell him about Dawn?"

"I didn't. What are you talking about?"

"I don't understand. What did he mean by 'you didn't do anything wrong?'"

Harry shrugged. "He was trying to make me seem innocent."

"It just seemed like he knew something…"

Harry shrugged again. "I don't know about that. I owe him though."

..::..

Despite her relationships with some of Madam Pomfrey's most frequent patients, Dawn had never actually been admitted to the Hospital Wing before. As a first time patient, she had to admit that it was horrendously boring. Ron was poor company, and though both of them were feeling healthy, Madam Pomfrey was insisting on keeping them for at least one more night, as she was unsure how they had managed to heal so quickly.

There was a slight rapping on her curtain. "How are you feeling Dawn?" Ginny asked.

"I'm fine!" Dawn yelled, more for Madam Pomfrey than for Ginny, as she opened the curtain. Truthfully, she had only put it up to muffle the sound of Ron's chewing and snoring.

"That's good," Ginny nodded.

They sat on the bed in silence for a minute. Well, as silent as one could get with Ron's loud chewing. "Is it always this awkward being on this side of the bed?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, it is. But I'm also not as good at this whole comforting thing as you are." Ginny then mumbled something indecipherable.

"What was that?"

"I said, 'I'm not as good at comforting others as you are.'"

"Then the other thing."

"What other thing?"

"The thing you mumbled after that."

Ginny blanched. "I did no such thing."

Dawn raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"I said 'Not that you ever want to be comforted,'" Ginny sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Ginny scratched the back of her neck. "Well, you know. You just never really want to be comforted."

"Thanks for clarifying."

"Dawn, what do you want me to say? Whenever you get angry with Harry, you try to draw it out for as long as you possibly can."

"I…what?"

"You draw it out. You like to lord it over him, remind him of how he hurt you, until you decide that he's suffered enough and only then do you forgive him."

Dawn was seething mad. Maybe it took her six months to forgive him for not coming home for his first Christmas as a wizard. And four months to forgive him for running away from home before her first year. And two months after he left her at Hogwarts when he confronted Voldemort at the Ministry of Magic. And…Ginny was right.

"I really do that?"

"Every time Harry makes you mad, ever since he first went to Hogwarts. Listen, I didn't mean to upset you or anything. Really, I wanted to help you."

"I think you did."

..::..

Thankfully, Harry made it through the rest of the day without incident, though Neville was not as lucky. Unfortunately, if it wasn't Slytherins mocking him for his incompetence with magic, it was his fellow Gryffindors lamenting their seemingly forlorn Quidditch season. Harry was reminded of their Quidditch troubles that afternoon, when the remainder of the Gryffindor team took the pitch.

Katie was the first to arrive, and she was quick to offer her assistance to Harry. "Listen, Harry, I know you've been through a lot, so if you want me to lead the team through some drills while you take a day or two off, I'd be happy to help."

Harry brushed it off though. "Don't worry, I'm fine. And Ron swears he'll be ready to go when we face Gryffindor."

Katie nodded. "And Dawn?"

Truthfully, Harry doubted that she would return to the team, mostly out of spite. "I haven't talked to her about it yet." Katie didn't need to know the truth.

She just nodded again and waved Ginny over. "Say Ginny, have you talked to Dawn about whether she'll be ready to play against Slytherin?"

Ginny shrugged. "It didn't come up."

Harry smiled and nodded. Thankfully, Ritchie and Demelza ran onto the pitch to save them any further small talk.

"Sorry we're late," Demelza spat out between gasps. "We weren't sure whether we'd practice today."

"It's alright. I was thinking we'd take it easy today. It's been a long day, for everyone. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been fielding questions about the team all day," he smirked.

Everyone nodded, but then their expressions turned dour as they began to stare over his head. Harry turned around to see a figure mounted on a broom, approaching them from the goal posts.

"I'm sorry but we have the pitch reserved," Harry said as soon as the player was within earshot.

"I'm quite aware," the muscular figure said stately. "I'm here to fill the vacant Keeper position."

"The position's not vacant. Ron's our Keeper."

"Yes, but I'm sure you remember my impressive resume," the figure responded as he landed. "Cormac McLaggen. Big M, Little C, Big L…"

"I know who you are, but there's no position to fill. Ron will be back in time for the match."

"Yes, but will a recovered Ron be as effective of a keeper as a fully rested and fit me? Doubtful."

"I understand that you're trying to help, but…"

"I'm not trying to help. I'm going to win you the match."

Harry tried to keep his anger in check. "Thank you, but I don't think…"

"Listen 'arry," Ritchie said from behind him (truthfully, Harry thought this might be the first time he'd ever heard him speak up during practice). "Why dun't we let 'im play today?"

Harry gave him a perplexed look, but Cormac took that for all it was worth. "Thank your subordinate when we take home the victory," he announced as he took off.

"Seriously?" Ginny scoffed.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked Ritchie.

"Horntail formation," Ritchie said with a smirk. "I'll take Dawn's place, 'arry you take mine."

It was Harry's turn to smirk. One of his innovations as Quidditch Captain had been to introduce coded plays to his players, following in the tradition of football matches he had watched when Dudley had control of the television. The Horntail formation had been something he drew up to cater to Dawn's unique strengths, but he wasn't sure Ritchie could pull it off. "Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Just watch," he smirked again, pushing off on his broom.

"You think he can do this?" Ginny asked.

"We'll find out," Harry said hopefully.

As soon as Cormac got into position, he let them know. "Alright, now let's begin with some passing drills! Ginny, you and Demelza…"

"Excuse me, but I'll run the drills today. Let's start with the Horntail formation."

"Harry, I've never heard of the Horntail formation. Our time would be better spent…"

Cormac's voice turned into white noise as the Gryffindor team flew into formation. Ginny swiftly grabbed the Quaffle, with Katie and Demelza following behind her in a straight line as she approached the goal post. As opposed to a normal formation where the Beaters flanked the Chasers to keep Bludgers out of their path, Ritchie balanced a Bludger on his bat and flew directly below Demelza while Harry flew above Demelza and mimed beating a Bludger away.

When Ginny was about 10 feet away from Cormac, Ritchie yelled, "NOW!" At his word, every member in formation pulled up on their broom and flew up at a nearly impossible ninety-degree angle. Ritchie flew within five feet of Cormac as he ascended and pulled the trigger on the Bludger, which knocked Cormac off balance while Ginny effortlessly threw the Quaffle into the far post.

If Dawn would've thrown the Bludger, Cormac would have been knocked back at least a few feet. Ritchie threw it hard, but it deflected up off of Cromac's broom, allowing Ritchie to take a second swing at the Bludger on the rebound. Cormac wasn't expecting the second blow and lost his balance on his broom, causing him to dangle off it in the air.

The team landed and began cheering at the successful use of the formation, especially Ritchie's improvisation.

"What is the meaning of this?" Cormac pouted once he was able to land. "You're resorting to using trick plays and relying on lucky bounces?"

"Listen, Cormac, if you would like to continue as our practice…" Harry began.

"Get off the pitch!" Ritchie yelled.

"Excuse me, but…"

"You 'eard me! Get the fuck off the pitch!" Ritchie continued yelling, his Derby accent thickening by the second.

"Why you little prat!" Cormac yelled. "You ought to be kicked off this team, immediately."

"It's a shame you're not in charge then," Harry asserted, stepping between them. "You heard Ritchie. Get off the pitch. This is an official team practice."

"Well I never…" Cormac muttered as he prodded off the pitch, trying to drown out the noise of the team's celebrations.

..::..

Harry sighed as he approached the door to the Hospital Wing. He had come to the realization that Ron was right: keeping secrets wasn't the answer. He hadn't appreciated it when Dumbledore kept secrets from him, and he certainly couldn't do the same to Dawn.

What was he supposed to say though?

Hey Dawn, you never existed until a few months ago when a bunch of monks created you and all of your memories out of a giant ball of magical energy.

No—too personal.

Hey Dawn, I just wanted you to know that _The Prophet_ is right about me being the Chosen One. One of us is going to kill the other.

No—not personal enough.

Hey Dawn, I have a crush on your best friend, and I'm insanely jealous of her current boyfriend.

No—too weird.

Harry sighed again. Was it too late to run away?

He went into the Hospital Wing and walked past Ron to Dawn's bed. "Hey Dawn, there's something I need to tell you."

As he got closer, he saw that Dawn was deeply in conversation with Colin. They both looked up at him and waved, though Colin's was far more enthusiastic than hers. Ron was sitting up in bed, and apparently was bored enough to read his Potions text. Ron nodded approvingly at him, though he wasn't sure if it was because he was listening to Ron's advice or because he momentarily silenced the two lovebirds.

"Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt."

"You aren't interrupting anything," Dawn said, refusing to make eye contact with him. Not a good sign.

"I was just going to give Dawn her birthday gift early to cheer her up," Colin admitted.

"Oh, well that's fine. Listen, Dawn, I'll come back another time."

He turned to leave, but he felt something pull at his robes. "No," Dawn said. "Stay. I want to talk to you too."

Harry tried to cover his confusion, as Dawn was never one to talk in these sorts of situations, but he smiled and sat on the empty bed next to hers.

"Well, as I was saying," Colin began as he placed a brightly wrapped box in Dawn's hands. "I've been working on this for months. I hope you like it."

Dawn quickly tore the paper off the box to reveal a book. "What is it?"

"Open it," he implored. Dawn did and looking at the first page made her jaw drop. "What? How?"

Out of curiosity, Ron got out of bed and looked at the book over Dawn's shoulder. "Wicked."

"I did a little research, then I used Anyanka to send out a few letters. I was overwhelmed by the response. I wasn't expecting anything like this."

"Harry, you have to see this."

He got off the bed and walked over to stand behind Dawn opposite Ron. Staring down at the book, he was shocked by what he saw.

A red-haired woman was lying in bed, smiling at a baby swaddled in pink. The baby was small, and every once in a while made a face. Standing next to the woman was a man, her husband, who looked extremely unkempt. His black hair stood on end, but he was cooing over the baby. On his shoulders was a toddler, who was by far the most active person in the picture. The toddler was squirming and craning his neck to see the baby. He had green eyes, just like the woman.

Above the picture was stencilled in the words, "Dawn Potter, A Life in Photos."

"That's us," Harry marvelled. "Our family. I've never seen this before. How did you get this picture?"

Colin smiled. "After talking with Dawn, I realized that you didn't have any pictures of her growing up. So, once I found out that Professor Lupin was her godfather and that Ron's mum was her godmother, I sent them letters asking for photos. Professor Lupin gave me all of the pictures of your parent's pregnancy and of your birth."

Dawn turned the page.

There was Lily, pregnant.

Then Toddler Harry in her lap, with his head against her stomach, listening to his sister.

The next page was Dawn, newly born, screaming her head off.

Then James holding her.

There was a separate picture of Lily holding her, and every once in a while she would lean over and kiss her on the top of her head.

The next page had pictures of both her Godparents, Lupin and Mrs. Weasley, each holding their goddaughter. Mrs. Weasley had gloves and a mask on.

"I didn't know my mum was your mum's midwife," Ron noted.

"I guess she had to be, since my mum was in hiding," Harry explained.

"Check out the next page," Colin chuckled.

Dawn curiously flipped the page and gasped.

The entire page was one image: Toddler Harry holding his baby sister. He had apparently taken off the pink knit cap Dawn had been wearing in all of the previous pictures, and it was lying on the floor next to them. Harry would alternate between looking at the camera and brushing his sister's hair out of her eyes. Then, baby Dawn started crying, so Harry looked at someone off camera and then kissed her on top of her head the way Lily had in the previous picture.

"I don't know what to say," Dawn muttered weakly.

"Keep going," Colin encouraged with a huge smile.

The next page was from some time later, as Dawn appeared to have grown by several inches. There were pictures of her being held by several red-headed children, including Bill, Charlie, Percy, and Ron.

"Was this while my mum and dad were still alive?" Dawn asked Ron.

Ron shook his head.

Dawn turned the page to see a picture of the twins holding her and Ginny. Every once in a while, the twins would point off screen and switch babies. Everyone chuckled at that.

There were also numerous pictures of Ginny and Dawn together: in bed, in matching jammies, in a stroller, in highchairs eating, and in various other places. Every page showed both girls growing slightly older. Every once in a while, Ron would pop up in a picture.

Dawn's expression dropped. "Ron, what's going on in these pictures?"

He sighed. "Don't be mad, but you were raised by my mum for the first eighteen months of your life."

"Why?"

"Well, Professor Dumbledore wanted Harry and you to grow up with your muggle relatives, but he knew that they would balk at raising two magical children. So he had my mum raise you until Harry was old enough to start making memories."

"But why?"

"He said that he wanted Harry to be safe, away from the wizarding world, but he also wanted him to have his sister with him."

Dawn silently turned the page. It was another full-page spread, this one of Ginny and Dawn as toddlers, no older than Harry in the first picture of the album. They were in bed together, but Ginny's face was covered by Dawn's outstretched hand. Every once in a while, Ginny knocked Dawn's hand away, but Dawn would unconsciously move it back_._

"When Harry turned three, Professor Dumbledore came to the house and took you away. Mum only gave you up because Dumbledore promised to tell your muggle aunt and uncle that you were a squib. She also made him promise that she could take you out for ice cream on your birthday."

Dawn turned the page and there were two pictures, from a year apart, of Dawn and Ginny eating ice cream together. "I remember that."

Ron nodded. "She charmed you so you wouldn't be able to tell Harry anything other than basic details so he wouldn't feel bad that he couldn't go." Dawn turned around and saw him wipe at his eyes. "Sorry, just a little dust or something."

"Yeah, me too," Dawn nodded. She turned around and gave him a hug.

She turned her attention back to the book and turned the page again. There was another picture of her and Ginny eating ice cream, but there was also a small picture of Harry.

"That's my first school picture. How did you get it?"

"Amanda went to your school and cut them out of the yearbooks. No one will notice."

"I remember that day," Dawn said.

Harry smirked. "Yeah, me too."

..::..

_ Harry ran off the bus as soon as it stopped moving. It had nothing to do with Dudley and his mean friends, who were given chocolate by his Aunt Petunia if he came home from school with a bruise. It had nothing to do with the bus driver, who was told to watch out for his troublemaking ways. It had nothing to do with wanting to go home at all._

_ For his entire life, Harry couldn't wait to go to school. Yet he never realized that going to school meant leaving Dawn alone. And neither of them had realized this sad fact until the morning of Harry's first day._

_ Dawn had cried when it was time for him to go. Until Aunt Petunia smacked her, that is. Then she sobbed quietly in her room and stared out the window glaring._

_ But that wasn't why Harry was running. He was running because all day, all he could think about were Dawn's final words to him._

_ "I hate you."_

_ He banged on the front door until Aunt Petunia angrily opened it. He didn't wait for her unpleasant remark about being more patient like Dudley before he ran up the steps to Dawn's room._

_ "Dawn!"_

_ "Harry!"_

_ They hugged as though they had been separated for years, rather than mere hours._

_ It didn't last for long though, as Aunt Petunia stormed into the room and pulled Harry out by his ear._

_ "I'm so sorry," he called to both people in the room, unsure as to who needed to hear it more._

_ "I'm sorry too!" Dawn shouted._

_ "You brats don't know the meaning of the word sorry yet!" Aunt Petunia hollered. _

..::..

"Things were so different back then," Harry said.

Dawn nodded and turned a few more pages. School portraits of Dawn joined Harry's for a while. Their smiles were both bright, though Harry's baggy clothing and broken glasses contrasted greatly with Dawn's bright dresses.

"I hated those stupid dresses," Dawn admitted, as if she was reading his mind. "But Aunt Petunia made me wear them for those pictures. It was either take the dresses or wear your handed-down-hand-me-downs."

Harry nodded absently. Thanks to Dumbledore's lie, Dawn had been treated slightly better than Harry. Or, at least she had fonder memories than he did.

Looking at the smile on his face in the pictures, Harry couldn't help but wonder: what kind of childhood did he actually have? If he took Dawn out of all of his memories of his childhood, there was no love at all, just bitter hatred and jealousy.

Dawn skipped over pictures of her and Ginny living at the Burrow during his first year of Hogwarts, since she had seen them all already. But the next page caused her to gasp.

Another full-page image showed Dawn, staring up at the train and smiling brightly as she waved goodbye. "Who gave you this picture?"

Colin blushed. "I took that one."

"You did?"

He nodded. "I was taking pictures of everything that day; I was amazed. But I bumped into you on the platform and dropped my camera. You picked it up and smiled at me. I didn't know what to say."

"I don't remember that," Dawn said.

"I didn't expect you to," Colin said. "You didn't even tell me your name that day. But I've fancied you ever since that day."

After a few pictures of Dawn at the Burrow by herself, there were a ton of candid pictures of Dawn from her first day of school. One featured Dawn's back turned towards the camera, but every once in a while she would turn a flash a smile to someone. He had a picture of her on the train, and waiting in line to be sorted.

"That was when I first learned your name. I didn't know you were Harry's sister until months later," Colin chimed in.

"That's because I had a little feud with him for the first few months of the term."

Dawn turned the page and smiled at a picture of her wearing the Sorting Hat. After a few seconds of sitting with the hat and her eyes clenched shut, she looked towards the camera and the rest of the Gryffindor table with a beaming smile.

"I missed that ceremony," Harry noted.

..::..

_"Are you sure you feel all right, Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply._

_ "Yes," said Harry. "Now please, I can't miss my sister's sorting."_

_ "Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then we can go down to the feast together."_

_ Harry went back into the corridor with Madam Pomfrey, who left for the Hospital Wing, muttering to herself. He had to wait only a few minutes; then Hermione emerged looking very happy about something, followed by Professor McGonagall, and the three of them made their way back down the marble staircase to the Great Hall._

_ When they entered the Great Hall, Harry saw that the Sorting Hat had already been put away. He excitedly scanned the Gryffindor table, and couldn't stifle an excited whoop when he saw Dawn sitting there next to Ginny._

_ Dawn looked up and caught Harry's eye. Despite her best efforts to remain sullen with him, she couldn't help but flash him a huge smile before suppressing it and frowning in his direction._

_ "Mr. Potter, do lead by example and show proper decorum," Professor McGonagall lightly chastised._

..::..

"Wow Colin," Dawn finally said as she closed the book. "Thank you. This is the greatest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever given me. I don't know what else to say."

Colin leaned over and kissed her. "It's my pleasure. Happy Birthday Dawn!" As he attempted to stand up, Dawn grabbed his neck and whispered something into his ear that made him blush.

"I'll, uh, leave you two to talk then," he stammered as he left.

Ron looked at Harry and gave him an encouraging nod. "I've got to use the toilet."

Once they were by themselves, Harry sat down on Dawn's bed. "So Dawn, I have something to tell you."

"So do I," Dawn said.

"Let me start though. I'm sorry that I attacked you. I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought that you were Draco using a Polyjuice Potion."

"I know. And I forgive you."

"Really?" Harry asked, somewhat surprised by her lack of resistance.

"Yeah, I'm done with being a moody teenager. I want things to be simpler," she gestured towards the photo album, "like they used to be back then."

Harry nodded. "I still owe you an explanation though. You see…"

What was he doing?

"Let me start over. Um…"

Ron was wrong.

"You uh…"

That book proved it.

"Harry, are you alright?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've been keeping a secret from you, and I know that I shouldn't have. So I'm going to be honest with you.

"_The Prophet_ was right to call me The Chosen One. There's a prophecy, and it says that Voldemort and I will fight each other to the death because he marked me as his equal."

"That sounds like a load of rubbish."

"I think so too," Harry chuckled. "But that's why we were lured into the Department of Mysteries last year. They have—well, had—a collection of prophecies, and Voldemort wanted to hear the whole thing. We stopped him from doing that at least.

"But part of this Chosen nonsense is that I have to protect this thing, for lack of a better term. It's called The Key, and it's a huge secret. You're one of six people in the school that know about it. I was afraid that Draco was impersonating you to try and gain information about it."

"What does this key do?"

"It alters reality. I can't tell you more, and I'm sorry that I can't. The less you know, the safer you are."

Dawn nodded. "I understand."

"So, we're…"

"We're good."

"I love you Dawn."

"Yeah, I love you too Harry."

They hugged briefly before Harry got up. "Get some rest, otherwise Madam Pomfrey won't let you leave tomorrow."

"You're the expert," Dawn chuckled.

As Harry approached the exit, he saw something disappear under the door. When he opened the door, he saw Ron struggling to hide an extendable ear. Harry shut the door and sat down next to him on the floor. "How'd I do?"

"Very well," Ron said.

"I know you wanted me to tell the truth, but…"

"But you couldn't take away all of her memories."

"Yeah," Harry admitted. "Colin's book reminded me of how real she it. I can't just tell her that she never existed, until recently. No matter what, she's still my sister."

"I know. You did the right thing."

"Thanks mate."

..::..

"Professor Snape," Harry greeted.

"Potter," Snape replied. "Your potions book."

"How did you know the spell came from this book?" Harry asked warily as he turned it over.

"You think this is the first time I've confiscated this textbook?" Snape sneered in reply.

Harry sighed. "What is it that you want me to do for the next hour?" he asked without the slightest glance to the clock. He knew what time it was and how many ticks of the clock would pass before he was free to go.

"I suppose that is up to you. There are a number of chores that need to be done and you'll have plenty of time to do them. By hand, of course."

Harry glanced around the room. There was a pile of filthy cauldrons that needed to be cleaned, a mop in the corner for the floor, and boxes of owl post that would need to be opened and properly put away.

"So it's my choice?"

"Did I stammer?"

"No. It's just that, since Dawn is…well, you know."

"Yes."

Harry gulped. "I choose to resume my Occlumency lessons."

Snape raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Go on."

"Before, I didn't take it seriously, mostly because I didn't need to keep Voldemort out of my mind. It seemed like an advantage..."

Snape held up his hand. "I only need to hear you say one thing."

"I'm ready to learn."

"Then prepare yourself. Remember what I taught you last year. Keep your mind blank."

Before Harry could respond, Snape raised his wand. "Legilimens!"


	10. Do You Hear What I Hear

Although I think that this will become abundantly clear once you start reading, please note that this chapter is more non-linear than usual due to the unique perspective.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Do You Hear What I Hear**

* * *

_"…but then Dawn apparently slapped him and ran out of the Yule Ball crying. I just happened to be wandering around the castle and was there to comfort her. Ginny eventually came out of the Ball too and sat with us while Dawn cried. It was such a shame that her date acted like such a dick."_

_ "Cassandra!"_

_ "Sorry Mum," Cassie sheepishly shrugged. _

_ "I don't know where you learned such language," Mum gently chided._

_ Cassie just shrugged again. _

_ "So, when are we going to meet this Dawn?"_

_ "Probably not until the summer before our fifth year at Hogwarts. Her muggle relatives hate wizards, but her brother turns seventeen during that summer, so they'll finally be able to leave their house."_

_ It was her mother's turn to shrug. She had been getting oddly specific information about the future since Cassie learned to talk, but she never got used to her daughter's talents. Cassie had learned over the years to spare her feelings by talking about the future as little as possible. "Well, you should write to her. If she doesn't get much contact with wizards, she'd probably appreciate a letter."_

_ "I can't Mum."_

_ "Why not?"_

_ Because Dawn won't exist until this time next summer. "Because Dawn has bars over her window that prevent owls from delivering the post." At the very least, she learned to lie when information would upset her mother._

_ "If you say so."_

_ "I know so." She didn't know how, but she always knew._

..::..

"Miss Newton, please stay after class for a moment," Professor McGonagall announced as she dismissed class. Cassie shrugged off the jeering of her classmates; it was expected.

"You needed to see me Professor McGonagall?" she asked nonchalantly.

"I'm afraid so. It seems that Professor Trelawney is still insisting that you add Divination back onto your course load," Professor McGonagall said with more than a hint of disdain.

"Insisting?" Cassie prodded.

McGonagall responded by taking off her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose. "She's insufferable. But she believes that you are a true prodigy and that, under her tutelage, you shall become the world's greatest seer."

"Were those her words?" Cassie snorted. Quite honestly, she doubted that Trelawney could hiccup more than a few words at a time, let alone a full sentence.

Her joke was met with a glare that said far more than words. "Nevertheless, she wishes that you would reconsider."

Cassie sighed. "You know as well as I do that Divination is a load of rubbish, so why are you telling me this?"

"I'm doing this in part because I want Professor Trelawney to stop talking to me about your gift. However, I don't disagree with her. You do have remarkable talents."

"I'm no seer. You can tell her I respectfully decline her offer."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "I didn't expect anything less from you."

"Thank you professor," Cassie said as she left.

Cassie hadn't lied: she would never consider herself a seer. A seer was one who could determine the future by using his or her magic to create a prophecy. By creating a prophecy, they can ensure that a certain future would come to pass, as any course of action taken by those mentioned in the prophecy ensures that it is fulfilled.

Unfortunately, Cassie was not a seer. She didn't determine the future: she saw all of it. There were occasionally divergences and multiple ways a scenario could unfold, but they almost always led to the same end.

Every time she closed her eyes, Cassie saw family, friends and even strangers. She saw their lives intersect, intertwine, and tangle. She was them win, lose, and perish.

She dreamt of death.

Destruction.

And green.

..::..

_"Confundo," Cassie muttered as she approached a table in the library._

_ "Hermione?" Cassie asked. "Do you have a minute?"_

_ The girl in question looked up and smiled her Prefect smile at Cassie. "I'm doing some research now, and I have a professor's note to use the Restricted Section. How did you get in here?"_

_ Cassie held up her own note. "Professor Slughorn. I have to do a potions essay on the history of the Death-Cap Draught. As you could imagine, it's not a pleasant history."_

_ Hermione nodded. "So what do you need?"_

_ "Well, I've seen you in this section quite a bit, and I'm afraid I can't find the text that I need."_

_ "Well, texts on the history of poisons should be right over there," she responded with a vague gesture._

_ "I've tried looking there, but I can't find anything."_

_ Hermione got up and began searching the shelves. "Huh, it was just here yesterday."_

_ "How utterly bizarre," Cassie mused. It wasn't that unusual, since Cassie had just confunded her. But she had a perfectly good reason to do so._

_ Cassie turned around and grabbed a text titled __A History of Secret Magical Societies__. Acting quickly, she earmarked a page entitled "The Order of Dagon and The Knights of Byzantium."_

_ "Remarque," Cassie incanted upon the book. She hoped that the Noticing charm would be strong enough to make them pick up the tome sooner rather than later. She quickly returned the book and pointed her wand at Hermione. "Finite," she whispered._

_ "Oh, here's what I was looking for: __Notorious Potions Through the Ages__. This should help you."_

_ "Thank you Hermione! I really appreciate it."_

_ She nodded. "I can see why you were having trouble finding that book. Hard to find anything in this section of the library." As she pulled out her chair, her eye caught a glimpse of Cassie's noticing charm. She shook it off though, much to Cassie's disappointment. "I… I think I've been in the library for too long."_

_ Cassie nodded along. "Happens to the best of us." She sat down across from Hermione and half-heartedly read the book, taking random notes as she read. Truthfully, she had finished her essay on the subject last night and had no intentions of revising it when her current version would get a passing grade. But, she needed to maintain appearances so she wouldn't appear suspicious to Hermione._

_ About twenty minutes later, Ron entered the Restricted Section of the library and gave her a critical look. "Hey," he said as he plopped down on the nearest chair. Cassie stifled a chuckle as his head slammed into the table with a loud thud. _

_ "Difficult practice?" Hermione asked without looking up from her book. He groaned in response. "Well, if you want Harry to ease up, you know what we need to do." He groaned and looked around briefly. Cassie could see his eyes linger on the shelves where her book was, and though he picked up the book nearest him, a volume titled __Forbidden Magicks of Memory__, his gaze didn't leave that shelf._

_ "I think I should be going," Cassie announced. "Thanks again for all your help Hermione." She shuffled some books and parchment into her bag and walked out of the Restricted Section. _

_ As the conversation behind her turned into a muffled buzzing, Cassie smiled. _

..::..

"An' then I tol' him to get the fuck off the pitch!" Ritchie excitedly exclaimed.

"Watch your language." Cassie calmly replied. "You're going to get a detention from Snape." Tuesday, right before Defence, to be exact.

"Cassie, look aroun'. We're in the fuckin' common room! That dick can't hear me!"

"Alright," she chuckled. "Just promise me you won't say that word outside the common room."

"I won't," he promised.

But you will, Cassie groaned internally, next Tuesday before Defence.

_"If that dick gives me anotha fuckin' T, I'll fuckin'…"_

Cassie shook her head. She didn't need any ability to see where that vision was heading. Besides, she'd already seen it a few times.

"Anyway Cassie, I was wond'rin' if you might be int'rested in goin' down to the lake tomorra night…"

"Why?" Cassie cut him off. Ritchie had been trying to ask her out for a few months now, and she knew that it wouldn't end well.

_Cassie saw a flash of green light fly straight towards her. She paused momentarily, accepting her fate._

"Well, I thought we could grab a few butta beers an' watch the sun set."

Damn, that sounded really romantic. "Sorry, I have an essay that I need to work on that night."

"Wha' essay?" he scoffed. "I'm in all ya classes and we don't have any essays due fo' weeks!"

"It's Dawn's essay for potions. She's really behind and she'll need my help."

"Alright," he responded suspiciously. "But promise you'll think abou' it afta she's betta, yeah?"

"Yeah," Cassie replied. "I promise." Ritchie flashed her a huge smile as he collected his stuff and walked upstairs. As soon as he was out of sight, Cassie sighed and collapsed her head onto the table.

"Everything alright?" a new voice asked. Harry, Cassie realized a split second before she looked up at the boy who had sat down across from her.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Cassie said stoically.

"I didn't know that you and Ritchie were friends."

You didn't notice me at all until your sister popped into existence, Cassie thought. She nodded though, and said, "He's fancied me for some time now."

"And you don't fancy him?" Harry guessed.

She wasn't sure why Harry was taking such an interest in her personal life, but for some reason she felt compelled to open up to him. "No, I just know that it's going to end in heartbreak."

"You should take a chance," he said with a quick glance over his shoulder. Cassie looked in that direction and saw Ginny sitting in a loveseat with Dean. "What's the worst that could happen?"

_The life left his eyes in that split second: he was dead before her hands left his head._

"Unfortunately, I don't think he and I will have the same happy ending that you and her deserve," she said ruefully.

They sat there in awkward silence for a minute. "How's Dawn?" she asked, guessing at Harry's reason for taking such an interest in her.

"She's fine," he admitted. "Madam Pomfrey says she'll be released tomorrow."

"That's wonderful."

"Yeah, it is. Say, speaking of Dawn, do you remember a conversation we had last spring?"

On the morning that Dawn first appeared—how could she forget? "Vaguely."

"You mentioned that I was noble for protecting Dawn, but you said I wouldn't be doing it alone for very long."

Yes, and suddenly all the pieces are falling into place. "Sounds like something I'd say."

"What did you mean by that?" Harry asked.

"Your sister is special Harry," Cassie admitted as she began to collect her things. "People are beginning to realize that. And I think you'll find that there are others that would give everything to make sure that she's safe."

"You're saying…" Harry stumbled over his words, unsure of what he was trying to ask. "Others are willing to die to protect my sister?"

"You're catching on," Cassie said with a wry smile. She picked up her belongings and started to head up to the dormitory, but in the corner of her eye she could see Harry rising and starting after her.

"Who?" he asked impatiently.

"You'll know who you can trust in due time."

..::..

_ Dawn walked into the dormitory, but she wasn't alone. She was followed by a young blond girl, who walked up to a new four-poster bed that hadn't been in the room before. The girl appeared to be their age, though Cassie had never seen her before._

_ "I hope you don't mind my asking, but who are you?" Cassie asked._

_ "Oh, I'm sorry Cassie, I didn't see you there. This is an exchange student from America."_

_ The girl extended her hand, with a tacky charmed bracelet hanging off her wrist. "Buffy Summers. Nice to meet you."_

_ "You're American alright," Cassie said with a chuckle. "No witch in this castle would ever consider wearing that. Nice to meet you too, I suppose."_

_ "You 'suppose?' Did I do something wrong? My first day as an exchange student and I've already messed up some cultural thing, didn't I? Is this one of those countries where shaking hands means that I want to murder you?"_

_ "Oh, it's nothing like that, I'm sorry to worry you," Cassie chuckled. "It's just…I always thought you would be older." _

..::..

"Dawn, you're out of the Hospital Wing!" Cassie happily exclaimed as she hugged her best friend.

"Not a moment too soon," Dawn chuckled. "If I had stayed one minute longer I would have done something drastic…like write my potions essay!"

"You were that bored, but you somehow convinced Madam Pomfrey to keep you the entire day and release you after classes were over?" Cassie asked.

Dawn shrugged. "I was bored, not suicidal. Besides, if I would have gone to class today, Professor Slughorn could have asked for that essay, and I haven't even started it."

"You can copy my notes if you'd like," Cassie said as she pulled out a long scroll of parchment.

Dawn looked over the parchment with a critical expression. "You wrote your notes in complete paragraphs?"

"I wouldn't say that."

"You even used transitions between the paragraphs."

It was Cassie's turn to shrug. "It was a rough draft. Besides, Professor Slughorn will give you a better mark because you're in his precious Slug Club."

"Don't remind me," Dawn groaned. "We have another meeting coming up next week and he's starting to schedule them around our Quidditch practices, so I can't even use that as an excuse."

Dawn took a seat at a table in the common room and began copying Cassie's extra essay. After about an hour of working, Harry entered and approached their table.

"Hey Dawn."

"Hey Harry. How was your detention with Snape?"

He paused for a moment. "Brutal." That was a good word to describe Occlumency lessons, Cassie thought to herself. "Is that your potions essay that was due last week?"

Dawn nodded. "I just finished actually, thanks to Cassie's notes."

"Cassie's notes? Let me see those."

As he reached for the parchment, Dawn quickly pulled out her wand. "Incendio!" Cassie's extra essay burned quickly, thanks to a charm Cassie put on it earlier. "Whoops, guess you can't see it," she chuckled.

Harry nodded amusingly.

"Say Harry, now that Dawn's finished her essay, do you think you could try teaching us the Patronus charm again?" Cassie asked.

"Sure. Why the sudden interest?"

_"Don't let her get away!" The woman yelled. "Bring me The Key!" The Darkness behind her leapt into motion and began flying after her._

"It's about time," Cassie responded as she pushed the image out of her head.

"I agree," Dawn said. "You never know when someone will attack me."

Harry blanched, but he led the way to the Room of Requirement. Cassie was mildly surprised when the door opened on the first try, but she supposed that Draco had to take a night off every once in a while.

"So, how much do you remember?" Harry asked.

"You think of a happy memory and you say 'Expecto patronum,'" Dawn recited. She had been given private lessons on this spell before, but she was never able to use it. Cassie had high hopes and was nearly certain that tonight she would be able to master it.

"That's the basic gist, yes, but there's more to it," Harry said. "You have to let your happiest memory fill you up. It's not enough to just think about it, you have to become it." Dawn and Cassie nodded. "Now, give it a try."

Cassie shut her eyes and tried to think of a happy memory without giving into the darkness of the future.

_Dawn smiled at her: "You're my best friend."_

"Expecto patronum!" she incanted. A silvery wisp emitted from her wand, but it didn't take a corporeal form.

"Expecto patronum!" Dawn yelled. Nothing came out of her wand.

"Try again!" Harry encouraged. "But this time, take more than a moment and really immerse yourself in the memory."

Breathing in deeply, Cassie again closed her eyes.

_He thrust his wand into her face, and for a boy who probably couldn't even use it, he was doing a great job of intimidating her. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hex you into oblivion!" he demanded._

Cassie shook off the vision and tried to think of something happier.

_The Sorting Hat was placed atop her head._

_ "I think you see more of the future than I do."_

_ Cassie nodded. "I think you're probably right."_

_ The Hat chuckled. "Of course I'm right. I think you would do well in Ravenclaw, a smart girl like you, consumed with such knowledge, but it appears as though you see the future differently."_

_ "I think I need to be in Gryffindor," she said as she looked towards the queue of first-year students._

_ "Is there someone there you need to be brave for?"_

_ "I'm not sure yet," she responded with confidence._

_ "Well then, I guess I have no choice but to put you in GRYFFINDOR!"_

"Expecto patronum!" Cassie yelled with the same confidence she showed the Sorting Hat. Another stream of silver light emitted from her wand, this time forming a corporeal shape. However, before it had time to become an animal, it dissipated.

"Expecto patronum!" Dawn yelled again. Once again though, nothing came out of her wand.

"I'm thinking of my happiest memory, but nothing's happening," Dawn complained. "What am I doing wrong?"

Harry frowned and pulled out his wand. He shut his eyes, and after a moment they snapped open. "Expecto patronum!" A wisp emitted from his wand, but it failed to become the stag that they were accustomed to seeing.

"Let me try again," he said. Again, he shut his eyes, but when they opened, he appeared more determined. "Expecto patronum!" he yelled again. This time, a silvery stag burst forth from his wand and did a lap around the room. "I think I know what's wrong. Apparently, recent memories are more powerful than old memories."

"Come again?" Dawn asked.

"Well," Harry sighed, "the first time I thought about Hagrid telling me that I was a wizard. You remember that day, right Dawn?" She nodded. "That memory wasn't powerful enough because it was so long ago. The second time, when I thought about Madam Pomfrey telling me that you were going to be alright, I was able to create a Patronus."

"So when I thought about staying at the Weasleys or discovering that I was a witch, those wouldn't be as powerful as, say receiving the photo album."

"The memories have to be real. Really powerful, that is," Harry quickly corrected.

Cassie nodded in understanding. The memories needed to be recent and real, not fabricated by the monks. Cassie took a deep breath and tried to remember something recent.

_ "Sally Hannon," McGonagall called about halfway through the sorting. The blond eagerly walked up to the stool and the hat was put on her head. It shifted briefly but eventually announced "GRYFFINDOR!"_

_ Dawn gave the loudest cheer from the table and the young girl excitedly sat next to her older friend, clearly relieved by the result. A little while later, "Danielle Mitchell" was called too and the brunette was also sorted into Gryffindor, much to Dawn and Sally's mutual delight. Danielle took a seat next to Cassie._

Taking a deep breath, Cassie again incanted, "Expecto patronum!" A bright silver flash emitted from her wand, taking the form of a raven. It flapped around the room excitedly.

The sight of the silver bird made Cassie smirk. Not just because Harry was right about needing real memories, but because of the old legends. Some seer had declared that England would fall if all the ravens in the Tower of London were removed. Perhaps it was egotistical to assume that her wisdom could save England, or that her absence would doom it, but her visions showed her otherwise.

_"Cassie, look out!"_

She shook off the vision just in time to see Dawn snap her eyes open and yell, "Expecto patronum!" Dawn looked downright giddy as a silvery wisp emerged from her wand and took a corporeal shape.

_Dawn stood up, clutching her wand in her bleeding arm. She raised it slowly, using all the energy she had left. "Expecto patronum!" she called._

Cassie again shook off the vision, but she wasn't expecting to see Dawn's Patronus take the shape of a spider. Her raven squawked around the spider happily before they both dissipated.

"A spider?" Dawn asked. "That seems lame."

Harry laughed. "Well, you know what they say about spiders."

_"Then get it. See what you missed out on." Ginny stopped on a page. "What does this mean? 'Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey; along came a spider, who sat down beside her and frightened Miss Muffet away.'"_

"What do they say?" Dawn asked suspiciously.

"They say spiders are the most terrifying creatures in existence."

"And who exactly said that?" she asked again.

"Ron of course. Show him that and he'll never bother you again."

..::..

_"Cassie, your friend Dawn is here!" Mum called from the foyer._

_ Cassie calmly walked down the steps, but Dawn appeared to be in a hurry, judging by the way she was anxiously tapping her foot. Behind her stood a tall, black wizard. She knew it was Kingsley Shacklebolt, but they had never been formally introduced._

_ "Dawn," Cassie said as she hugged her best friend. "What brings you here?"_

_ "Hey Cassie," Dawn replied. "There's going to be a huge werewolf attack tonight, and I think you're the only one that can help me stop it."_

_ "That's unfortunate." She extended her hand to Kingsley. "I don't believe we've met Kingsley. My name's Cassie Newton."_

_ Kingsley seemed taken aback. "Pleased to meet you."_

_ "She does that sometimes," Dawn explained._

_ "I gathered. Listen, no…"_

_ "'No one can know of your involvement.'" She gave Kingsley a moment to let his expression of shock set in. "Sometimes I just know things," she shrugged._

_ "All we're going to need is your dad's Ministry clearances, then we'll be good to go."_

_ "He already left for America, since the Ministry is going to fall in a few weeks. But I made him write down all of the access passwords."_

_ "The ministry is going to fall in a few weeks?" Kingsley asked._

_ "Give or take a few days," Cassie shrugged. "Don't worry, your position's safe."_

_ Dawn raised an eyebrow. "So you knew this was coming."_

_ "Unfortunately, I did. Now are you ready to leave? We don't have much time."_

..::..

Cassie and Dawn arrived to their Defence class a few minutes early. Cassie was relieved that they hadn't arrived earlier: the class was receiving the results from their last duels today, and the Gryffindors were expecting low marks compared to their Slytherin counterparts.

"I know that you don't have anything to worry about," Dawn began as she took her seat in front of Cassie, "but I don't think I'm going to receive a good grade."

"Why would you say that?" Cassie asked.

"Your spellcasting is just so fluid. You don't react; you just act."

Cassie snorted. It helped that her years of dreaming the future had helped her read people's spells by the way they moved while casting them. But Dawn didn't need to know that.

_"There's something you're not telling me. Which should be impossible, but I trust you," Dawn said._

She shook her head to dismiss the comment and the vision.

"Don't be modest! You even beat your partner! Astoria and I duelled to a standstill. After five minutes, Snape scowled and told us to go back our seats."

"Yeah, but you and Astoria are the best in the class! That's why he put you together. The only reason he called off your duel is because he didn't want to send you to the Hospital Wing."

"Apparently I can do that on my own," Dawn snorted.

Their conversation was cut short when Astoria and Flora took their seats next to Dawn and Cassie respectively. "So Dawn," Astoria said with a flick of her hair, "ready to receive our grades?"

"Yep," Dawn said without giving in to Astoria's taunts.

"I'd be worried if I were you. After all, you did lose to a Slytherin."

"We duelled to a standstill. If anything, we tied."

Astoria snorted. "A Gryffindor tying with a Slytherin? In Snape's eyes? You must have hit your head harder than we thought." Flora laughed at her joke.

Dawn's nostrils flared, but she was saved by Ritchie, who was sitting next to Astoria. "Wait, are you sayin' we get our grades back today? Shit, if that dick gives me anotha fuckin' T, I'll fuckin'…_" _

He was interrupted by Snape banging on Ritchie's desk to get his attention. Snape stared at Ritchie in silence for several moments. "You'll what?"

"Um…I don't unde'stand."

"Finish your thought," Snape sneered. "You'll do what?"

"I'll uh…smile, and say, 'Thank ya fo' not givin' me a detention."

Snape slapped Ritchie's grade on his desk. "One week for each curse."

"Each curse that I said or each one you heard?"

Snape ignored the comment and tapped the pile of parchment with his wand to distribute the grades. "Overall, I was disappointed with your duelling skills. Do you believe that you will not be forced to defend yourself in this war?"

Dawn could barely suppress a squeal when she saw the E on the parchment in front of her. Astoria growled at an identical E.

Cassie quickly folded up the A that appeared in front of her and stuck it in her pocket.

"If rumours are to be believed," Snape began with a smirk, "only one of you is actively trying to better your abilities. Even if it did land her in the Hospital Wing."

Dawn slumped in her seat.

"Miss Potter, to the front of the class." Dawn stood from her chair and walked to stand beside Snape, clearly mortified by the situation. "Now, if you believe the rumours, Miss Potter decided to go above and beyond the curriculum to learn wordless spellcasting. I however, have my doubts. So Dawn and I will duel in front of the class. And she will not be permitted to speak."

Dawn blanched and tried to talk, but nothing came out of her mouth.

_Dawn looked as though she was going to scream, but nothing came out of her mouth. She backed away using her elbows, but the darkness was encroaching._

"I took the liberty of applying a silencing charm on you. We will each take three steps, turn and bow."

Dawn continued to protest wordlessly.

Snape nodded as though he understood, which caused Cassie to shudder. No doubt he used his Legilimency to read her thoughts. "Yes, I suppose I should give you some incentive to win the duel. If you can last three minutes without being stunned or otherwise disabled," he smirked, "I shall release your brother from his detention for one day to play in the next Quidditch match. However, should I manage to overcome your wordless defences," he paused to allow the Slytherins to snicker, "you will join him in detention that day."

Dawn nodded feebly and turned to take her three steps. Snape did the same, and they bowed once they were facing each other. Snape then flicked his wand at an hourglass on the counter, which turned itself and began to count the three minutes

Cassie was panicking on the inside. She was one of the few people who knew the truth about the incident, and she knew that Dawn would never be able to deflect one stunner without her voice. More problematic was that Cassie had never seen this duel in her dreams before, and thus she had no idea how this scenario would play out.

Dawn stood in a defensive pose, her feet square with her wand held in front of her. Snape waited in a more offensive stance, with his right foot a half step in front of him and his wand outstretched. He waited several seconds, and once he saw that Dawn wasn't going to take the first move, he silently fired off a spell: a stunner.

Though Dawn winced at the stunner, her arm moved into position and she silently cast a shielding spell to deflect the stunner. The entire class broke out in whispers. Even Dawn appeared confused that she was still standing.

Not accepting that Dawn actually was able to cast a wordless spell, Snape threw more stunners at her. This time, Dawn stared them down and moved her wand to intercept each stunner with a silent shield. More whispers broke out, and a few brave souls even applauded.

Snape was fuming, but he glanced at his hourglass. Snape had at least two minutes left. He smirked, and launched into an all-out volley of spells. He unleashed hexes and curses of every colour. Too many to count. There was no telling what horrors would strike if Dawn didn't deflect them all.

Dawn's wand jerked about, deflecting each and every spell. Several loud cheers broke out among the class. However, their cheers were silenced when Snape jerked his wand and knocked Dawn off her feet. She quickly rolled over so she could face him, but she wasn't able to stand before Snape launched another volley of spells. Dawn cringed and covered her face with her non-wand arm.

Her wand arm wasn't quite so scared. She continued to jerk her wand about, blocking each spell with an expertly placed silent shield. Snape didn't relent, continuing to launch hexes and spells, but Dawn continued to block them, even as she stood.

The class remained silent, transfixed by the sight, until Snape abruptly stopped. He motioned towards hourglass, which had run out of sand. "It appears as though Ms. Potter was telling the truth. I will award five points to Gryffindor for her efforts." Half the class began to cheer, which prompted Snape to smirk and say, "However, I will take ten points for the constant interruption of our duel." The class was silent, save a few snickers. "I will honour our arrangement and allow your brother to compete in your next Quidditch match." This time, the class contained their joy for fear of losing more points.

He waved his wand in her direction. Dawn audibly gasped, clutched her throat, realizing that Snape returned her voice to her. He then motioned to her seat and Dawn quickly returned to it.

"Now, as I was saying, it appears as though only one of you is actively trying to better your abilities."

"How did you do that?" Cassie whispered to Dawn.

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

..::..

In bed, Cassie started trashing around. Her body tried to fight her visions, as they caused her dream to transform into something terrifying.

..::..

_Several wizards and witches were seated at a large table. The room was light only by a handful of candelabra scattered about the room. Only one face was illuminated properly._

_ His piercing red eyes contrasted sharply with his pale skin, and the weak candlelight was just bright enough that she could see the features he was lacking. Growing up in a magical household, she had long feared his name, but that never prepared her from the nightly terror of seeing his face. A chill went down her spine as he stared straight into her eyes, despite her detached vantage point. Cassie found herself unable to avoid his stare._

_ "Severus, do you have any other news to report from Hogwarts?" His cold, dispassionate voice said slowly. "Lucius has head rumblings about an American squib attending the school."_

_ "Yes, My Lord, there is an American girl attending Hogwarts," her professor answered. Though Cassie felt ambivalent towards him as a person and a teacher, she was amazed by his ability to stare You-Know-Who in the eyes without flinching. "I would not describe her as a squib, as she has tremendous power."_

_ "What is her purpose at the school?" he hissed. "Does Dumbledore believe that she can oppose me?" As he asked the question, snickers broke out around the table._

_ "I don't believe that she is part of Dumbledore's plans to defeat you."_

_ He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named banged on the table, causing Cassie to jump in fear. "Why else would he bring her?"_

_ As Snape was about to answer, the door to the room flew off its hinges and crashed into the wall. Cassie jumped again; she had never seen this vision before. The Death Eaters assembled drew their wands at the door, with some even firing hexes at the new opening. _

_ Emerging unscathed was a woman with curly blond hair. Though Cassie wasn't usually one to take note of such things, she couldn't help but notice that her makeup and lipstick were impeccable, and her red dress and stilettos were more suited for a night on the town than busting a secret Death Eater meeting._

_ One Death Eater launched a killing curse at her. The woman caught it in her hand. _

_ "Who threw that?" she asked violently. Cassie gasped when she heard her voice. This was no woman: this was the monster that had haunted her dreams for years. This was the Hell God that would stop at nothing until she returned to her home._

_ This creature was death personified._

_ The foolish Death Eater was stupid enough to keep his wand drawn and pointed at her. "What kind of witch are you?" he stuttered._

_ The Hell God walked up to him coolly. "I'm no witch." In one foul motion she grabbed his wand and shoved it straight through his skull. As his body collapsed onto the floor, she laughed to herself. "And now, neither are you."_

_ At the end of the table, You-Know-Who didn't move a muscle or allow any sign of fear to cross his face. "What brings you to this meeting?"_

_ She turned her attention to him. "Are you Voldemort?" A hushed murmur went around the table. Cassie could almost hear the question on their lips: Who dared show such disrespect to their master? And, more importantly, what could he do to stop it?_

_ He rose and used his wand to flourish as he bowed. "The one and only. Who might you be?"  
She scoffed at the question. "They didn't have names when I first arrived in this backwater dimension. I've been called Beast. Abomination. I prefer Glory."_

_ Cassie gasped. She had never had a name to describe the horror that haunted her dreams for so many years. _

_ "Glory. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."_

_ She didn't buy into his suaveness. In an instant she had him by the neck and was choking him. The entire room quickly turned their wands on her, though they knew spells would be useless. "What have you done to my babies?"_

_ "Your what?" he coughed._

_ "My babies. They have consumed so few souls."_

_ Cassie and You-Know-Who both stared at Glory with wide eyes as they realized what she was referring to. "The Dementors?" he spat out._

_ Glory smiled, which made Cassie want to scream. Whenever that smile appeared in one of her dreams, someone's neck was snapped. "What a perfect name for them. Dementors."_

_ "If you…release me…I'll tell you…what I know." Glory dropped him on his arse. "I released them from their imprisonment, working for the Ministry in exchange for a pittance of souls. I allowed them to run free, to feast and feed on whatever Muggles they wanted."_

_ Several Dementors began entering the room. Cassie felt the chill go up her spine, and the temperature in the room lowered enough that the Death Eaters could see their breath. She could see Snape struggling with his role strain: his wand was already out, but casting a Patronus to keep the Dementors at bay would do him no good._

_ "Needless to say," Glory smiled, "they no longer do your bidding."_

_ "And why is that?" You-Know-Who calmly asked._

_ "I need souls to regain my full power."_

_ Dementors began flying in every direction, raising their hoods to the nearest target. Their flight caused the candles to extinguish, bathing the room in darkness. Many Death Eaters, including Snape, disapparated on the spot. Cassie wanted desperately to leave, but her vision wouldn't release her. _

_ Voldemort, however, remained to watch the carnage. "And what do you want with your full power?"_

_ Glory's smile was newly illuminated by the extracted souls the Dementors were consuming. "The Key."_

..::..

Cassie let out a blood curdling scream as her eyes adjusted to the pale light of the moon streaking in from the window in her dormitory. She shot up like a rocket, and thankfully noticed that she hadn't woken anybody up. Cancelling the silencing charm against her drapes, Cassie got out of bed and sat on the floor, focusing only on regaining her control over her breath.

As she inhaled and exhaled slowly, Cassie's eyes fixated on Dawn's sleeping figure. So far, she was safe. Cassie was one of six people that knew the truth about Dawn, and though that number would soon be increasing, there was no immediate danger.

According to her newest, most recent vision though, that danger had a name and was fast approaching. There was no use in praying that this particular vision was far from being realized, for she knew that Glory was coming and there was nothing that could stop her.

Cassie had been wracking her brain for months, trying to come up with ways to better prepare Harry, Dawn, and all of Hogwarts, and though her efforts had been largely successful thus far, she was frankly running out of ideas. With one idea left, Cassie walked over to Dawn's trunk. Although she knew that she shouldn't, Cassie rummaged through Dawn's belongings until she pulled out one of her books: Muggle Legends, Myths, and Nursery Rhymes. She opened up to the page that Dawn had earmarked and began to write under the text.

"Miles to go; Little Miss Muffet counting down from." She finished the incomplete sentence by underlining and circling the page number: 730.

Cassie returned the book into Dawn's trunk and rearranged everything so she wouldn't notice. As she returned to bed and reinstated the silencing charms against her drapes, she had to stifle another scream.

Beyond her four-posters, the future was coming to get her. The Slayer would bring It. It would mobilize the Dementors in due time. And all the while, the Death Eaters were chomping at their bits, waiting for their turn to enter the fray.

None of her premonitions could prepare her for horrors she knew were coming.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Please review, especially if you have any questions about the timeline or grammar corrections.


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